NPS fire managers use wildland fire and other techniques, such as mechanical cutting of heavy fuel loads and subsequent burning of slash piles, to greatly reduce the possibility of a future catastrophic fire. In some landscapes, they may hand-weed invasive or nonnative plants that change the way fire moves through an ecosystem, or allow lightning-caused wildfires to burn, thereby restoring resilience to a sensitive habitat.
Last updated: December 30, 2017