Prescribed burns planned at Monongahela National Park

ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has announced plans to conduct prescribed burns at select locations in the Monongahela National Forest starting this month.

According to a press release from the department, staff at the park plan to conduct the burns from March until June which will cover 3,667 acres of land in Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Tucker counties. The release said that the burns are meant to “re-establish fire’s natural role in the forest ecosystem, improve forest health and wildlife habitat, and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires.”

Burn locations include:

• Guinn Ridge — 1,462 acres (Pocahontas County)
• Ramshorn Ridge — 1,005 acres (Pocahontas County)
• Upper Greenbrier North — 514 acres (Pocahontas County)
• Lake Sherwood Piles and Dam — 5 acres (Greenbrier County)
• Meadow Creek Units 1 and 2 — 243 acres (Greenbrier County)
• Rucker Gap — 384 acres (Greenbrier County)
• Nursery Bottom — 54 acres (Tucker County)

The release said that each burn location will be closed the day the burn takes place and will remain closed for several days after. Several environmental factors are examined before a prescribed burn begins, including temperature, humidity, smoke dispersion and wind. If any of these conditions are deemed unsafe, the burn will be postponed.

Photos, maps and further information will be available here when the burns begin.

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