The National Park Service plans to conduct four prescribed fires in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) before May 15.
Prescribed fire is used as a tool to assist in restoring forest habitat while also reducing the threat of wildland fires.
In the Good Harbor Bay area of the National Lakeshore, two prescribed fires will be on 392 acres. One burn unit is located west of County Road 669, also known as Bohemian Road, and between West Lake Michigan Road and the beach. A second burn unit is located at the Good Harbor Bay Trail near the trailhead and area encircled by the trail. A map of the burn units can be found at National Lakeshore Burn Unit Map.
In the Platte Plains area of the National Lakeshore, two prescribed fires will be on 1,490 acres. One burn unit includes and surrounds the Lasso Loop of the Platte Plains Trail. The second burn unit falls between Peterson and Lasso Roads.
Prescribed fire in this area is used to maintain healthy ecosystems, replenish fire dependent ecosystems, reduce available fuels in areas, control encroaching vegetation, and assist with the management of invasive species.
