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255-Acre Prescribed Burn in Avery, McDowell Counties on Friday, Another Along Table Rock Road in Burke Saturday

Feb. 5, 2015. The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct two prescribed burns in the Grandfather Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7. The agency plans to burn approximately 255 acres Northeast of Globe and south of the Anthony Creek Road in Avery and McDowell on Friday. Saturday, the agency plans to burn approximately 50 acres off of Table Rock Road Burke County.

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 Woodruff Ridge trail will be closed during the prescribed burn.

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. A helicopter will assist in conducting the prescribed burn.

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