1000 x 90

Prescribed Burn of 2,365 Acres Planned for Burke County Thursday, Part of Grandfather Restoration Project

March 26, 2014. The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct a prescribed burn in the Grandfather Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest, on Thursday, March 27. The agency will conduct the 2,365-acre burn off of Old State Route 105 (Kistler Memorial Highway) in the Dobson Knob area of Burke County.

The Forest Service is conducting the two-day 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 Old 105 Rd. will be closed from Wiseman’s View in the north to the last private residence to the south. The 106 road (Dobson Knob) will be closed as well.  The Mountains to the Sea Trail will be closed from the foot bridge over the North Fork of the Catawba River to the Pinnacle.  The Over Mountain Victory Trail will be closed as well between Old 105 and Old Linville Road. 

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.

The Nature Conservancy, NC Department of Transportation and the NC Forest Service are assisting in the prescribed burn. 

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

This effort has been a contentious one with a nearby neighborhood opposed. See previous articles below.

Jan. 10, 2013: Landowners of Gingercake Acres Fume Over Potential Prescribed Burns to Linville Gorge Wilderness Area

Feb. 21, 2013: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Supports Proposed Prescribed Fire at Linville Gorge Wilderness Area