Forest Service Soon Starting Prescribed Burns

Pending favorable conditions, fire managers on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests will soon begin the prescribed burns they say are essential to improving wildlife habitat and maintaining a healthy forest.

Approximately 32,000 acres across the Forests may be treated through fire from mid-November 2015 through mid-May 2016.

Forest Service officials say one of those burns will be located in the Stephens County area, at Allen Mountain on 527 acres located five miles south of Toccoa.

No exact dates for the prescribed burns were given.

Officials say each burn is carefully planned and implemented to achieve maximum benefit to the forest while minimizing impacts to the local community.

When precise conditions including wind and humidity are met, officials say firefighters begin and patrol each burn to ensure it meets forest health and public safety goals.

According to the Forest Service, fire managers also utilize tactics to minimize smoke impacts including using daytime ignitions to allow the majority of smoke to disperse prior to settling overnight and burning larger sections at a time when conditions are favorable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is in an area.