Forest Service plans prescribed burn in Grandfather district

Posted on — Margaret Williams

Forest fires can benefit forest communities — that’s what the U.S. Forest Services, scientists and environmentalists have concluded in recent years: “putting out every fire creates a buildup of forest debris and produces more dangerous conditions,” the agency says. “That’s why the Forest Service is using an integrated, experienced and science-based prescribed burning program to restore fire to the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. The program promotes forest health and helps reduce risks to communities.”

Here’s details on a prescribed burn planned for the Grandfather Ranger District in the Pisgah National Forest:

Prescribed Burn Planned for Grandfather Ranger District

 

NEBO, N.C., Jan. 20, 2015 — The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct a 255-acre prescribed burn in the Grandfather Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest, by Friday, Jan. 23, 2015.

 

The agency will conduct the one-day burn near the Avery County-Caldwell County line, northwest of the Globe area near Anthony Creek.

 

The Forest Service is conducting the burn as part of the Grandfather Restoration Project, a 10-year project designed to restore 40,000 acres of the Grandfather Ranger District. The project is restoring fire-adapted ecosystems by enhancing conditions for a variety of native plants and wildlife, controlling non-native species and protecting hemlocks against hemlock woolly adelgids.

 

The safety of the public and firefighters is the highest priority during a prescribed burn.

The public is asked to heed signs posted at trailheads and roads and to stay away from burn areas and closed roads and trails.

 

Click here to learn more about restoring fire to the mountains.

 

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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams
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