News Release
Subscribe
 |
What is RSS
|
Contact: Kristen Allen, 804-640-7919
Richmond National Battlefield Park to conduct prescribed burn at Malvern Hill battlefield
RICHMOND, Va. – The National Park Service plans to conduct a prescribed burn at Richmond National Battlefield Park in late March to early April, subject to weather conditions and other factors. The burn will take place on approximately 90 acres of park property at Malvern Hill in Henrico County.
Controlled fires are a key tool for maintenance of a safe and healthy landscape. The objective of this prescribed burn at Malvern Hill is to reduce build-up of flammable fuels, maintain the historically open landscape, reduce woody and non-native species density and foster native meadow vegetation. The burn will also enhance the valuable wildlife habitat associated with the native plant communities and reduce the park’s maintenance costs.
To ensure that the burns remain under the control of firefighters, a burn will be carried out only when certain conditions are met. Safely conducting a prescribed burn is based on frequent monitoring of weather conditions. Various factors such as wind direction, wind speed, smoke dispersion, and fuel moisture must be within a strict, pre-determined range. If any of these environmental parameters are not met, the burn will not proceed; if the conditions start favorably and change, the burn will be stopped.
Under this prescription, the fire will move slowly through the area and stop at established burn breaks. Smoke will disperse quickly from the area, although neighbors may smell smoke during and shortly after the burn period. At Malvern Hill, the areas to be burned are surrounded by a wide gravel road, wetland and areas of short-mowed grass.
The park will have no fewer than 8 certified wildland fire fighters on hand and will be assisted by Henrico County Fire Department to ensure that each fire is conducted safely and without incident. The burn is expected to last no longer than eight hours. To ensure visitor safety, the park trail and parsonage parking lot at Malvern Hill will be closed during the burn. Following the fire, the burned areas will temporarily be black. However, in just a few weeks, they will be green with vegetation.
Malvern Hill battlefield was the last of the 1862 Seven Days Battles that forced the Union army to retreat to the James River. Malvern Hill battlefield is a unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park that protects the historic landscape, provides walking trails and interpretive media.
Please check www.nps.gov/rich and www.Facebook.com/RichmondNPS for updates and information about this burn, park programming and operations.
Last updated: March 15, 2025