Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Institute Stage 2 Fire Restrictions
Effective July 28, 2014, the parks are in Stage 2 fire restrictions. See link below for more information. These restrictions will remain in place until further notice. More »
Road Construction Delays on Park Roads for 2014 Season
Expect occasional 15-min. to 1-hour delays in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks beginning Monday, June 2, weekdays only, between 5:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., including delays to/from the General Sherman Tree, Crystal Cave, and Grant Grove. More »
Vehicle Length Limits in Sequoia National Park (if Entering/Exiting Hwy 198)
Planning to see the "Big Trees" in Sequoia National Park? If you enter/exit via Hwy. 198, please pay close attention to vehicle length advisories for your safety and the safety of others. More »
You May Have Trouble Calling Us
We are experiencing technical problems receiving incoming phone calls. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please send us an email to SEKI_Interpretation@nps.gov or check the "More" link for trip-planning information. More »
Fire Information and References
Overview: Why does the Park Service Use Fire?
Fire has been a natural part of the Sierran ecosystem for centuries. Natural fires swept through these plant communities at intervals that provided conditions for many plant species to regenerate. Fire thins competing species, recycles nutrients into the soil, releases and scarifies seeds, and opens holes in the forest canopy for sunlight to enter. All of these are critical to forest health and natural cycles of growth and decomposition.
Plants are not the only living things that have evolved with and adapted to fire. Animal species are just as much a part of the "fire environment." With the increased forage that results after a fire, many animals low on the food chain experience increases in their populations; therefore species above them on the food chain also benefit.
Despite the evidence that fire is a necessary element in the Sierra Nevada, over most of the past century people have feared and suppressed it whenever possible. Especially in the western United States, the accumulation of dead forest litter and duff during that time now presents extreme hazards to the health of the trees, soil, and wildlife, to humans living in these areas, and to the taxpayer who has to fund the fighting of catastrophic wildfires.
Prescribed fire is used in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to restore this natural process to the forests. These fires are strategically used to reduce the risks that unnaturally heavy fuels pose to humans and ecosystems.
You can learn more about wild and prescribed fire in this overview. For more technical information about fire, fire research and fire management, select from the following links.
Fire and Park Resources
Additional Fire Management Information
Did You Know?
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks offer more than 850 miles of maintained wilderness trails. Over 723,000 of the parks' acres are officially designated as Wilderness. More...