Public comment period opens July 22 and runs through August 21

July 23, 2022 - SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. - The National Park Service (NPS) is announcing the next steps in advancing recovery efforts to mitigate roadside tree hazards resulting from the KNP Complex Wildfire which burned over 88,000 acres of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (parks) from September through October of 2021. Where moderate to high severity fire crossed roadways, many of the fire-killed trees are now considered tree hazards – meaning they pose a direct risk to human safety and property due to the likelihood of their failure and potential to hit a human or man-made target.     

The NPS is initiating and seeking public comment on a KNP Complex Wildfire Tree Hazard Mitigation Environmental Assessment (EA) that will evaluate alternatives to minimize the threat to public safety and NPS infrastructure from tree hazards killed or otherwise damaged by the KNP Complex Wildfire. This project will also protect road corridors that serve as fire breaks, evacuation routes, and provide firefighter access.

Once public comment is received and analyzed, an EA will be prepared and released for public comment that evaluates specific alternatives to address the problem. The NPS anticipates the EA will be available for public comment in fall 2022 and expects a decision to follow in winter 2023. 

The current proposed action includes mitigating (limbing or removing) all tree hazards along roadways that burned at moderate to high severity during the 2021 KNP Complex Fire. In addition, the NPS is proposing to treat fallen debris within a minimum of 20 feet, and no more than 80 feet from the road’s edge. Treatment options may include but are not limited to lopping and scattering limbs on site, piling and burning on site, broadcast chipping, chipping and hauling, hauling woody debris to a burn pit for burning, administrative use, or donation to Tribal Partners or other stakeholders.  

To review the proposal documents, and/or to provide comments, please visit the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/KNPTreeHazards     

The NPS is accepting public comments on this planning effort through August 21, 2022. Please comment on the plan via the PEPC website. Written comments may also be sent via mail or hand-delivery to:   

Superintendent   
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks   
Attn: KNP Complex Wildfire Tree Hazard Mitigation Project  
47050 Generals Highway   
Three Rivers, CA 93271    

If you have any specific questions regarding this planning effort, please contact Elly Boerke, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (559) 565-3102.  


The Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park
Credit: RPaterson/NPS
Source: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks