News Release

Big South Fork NRRA Issues Temporary Closure for Prescribed Fire Operations, March 15, 2023

2023 Rx Burn Location Map

NPS

News Release Date: March 15, 2023

Contact: Daniel Banks, 423-569-9778

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area will conduct a prescribed burn on the Divide Road Burn Unit this week. Approximately 858 acres are scheduled to be burned. Burning operations will begin mid-morning and conclude later in the day. Monitoring of the area will continue throughout the weekend. Prescribed fire, as defined in the approved Fire Management Plan, will be located within the boundaries of the park.

Due to the prescribed fire operations in the area, the Superintendent has temporarily closed:

• The section of the Gobblers Knob Equestrian Trail between Fork Ridge Road and Terry Cemetery Road
• Middle Creek Road between Divide Road and Gobblers Knob Equestrian Trail
• Middle Creek Equestrian Trailhead Parking Area
• And all areas that fall within the Divide Road Prescribed Burn Unit

This closure is necessary to protect the safety of fire personnel and park visitors during prescribed fire operations. Local communities can expect minimal smoke and visibility impacts. The smoke is expected to move north from the unit carried by the predicted winds.

Implementation of burn operations is dependent upon a variety of conditions. Prescribed fires are conducted within specific parameters including temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed to name a few.

Fire is an essential, natural process, having shaped the landscape for thousands of years, releasing, and recycling nutrients tied up in vegetation, duff, and organic soil layers, improving the overall health of plants and animals. During the planning of these prescribed burn units, areas of historical, cultural, and ecological importance are protected.