Marion, Va, February 14, 2022 — The USDA Forest Service will begin conducting prescribed burns near Rural Retreat in Wythe County, and near Konnarock, VA in Grayson County ,as soon as this month. Prescribed burns improve wildlife habitat by restoring open woodlands and grasslands to the forest landscape. Safety is the Forest Service’s top priority, and Forest Service fire managers will conduct prescribed burns in the following areas only under appropriate weather conditions:
Wythe County, VA: The 286-acre Crawfish burn unit is located 3.5 miles north of Rural Retreat and 3.5 miles north of Interstate 81. Forest Service Road 727 may be temporarily closed. For your safety, please follow posted signs and trail closures when they occur. The prescribed burn is expected to have lingering smoke effects in parts of Wythe County, including the community of Blacklick and the surrounding area. Depending on wind direction, residents and travelers in these areas may see or smell smoke. Grayson County, VA: The 116-acre White Top burn unit is located 2.7 miles southeast of Konnrock, VA, two miles southeast of Big Hill, VA and 2.8 miles northeast of Whitetop, VA. Mud Creek Lane and a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail may be temporarily closed for a short period of time the day of the burn. For your safety, please follow posted signs and trail closures when they occur. The prescribed burn is expected to have lingering smoke effects in parts of Grayson County, including the communities of Konnrock and Big Hill and the surrounding area. Depending on wind direction, residents and travelers in these areas may see or smell smoke. Experienced fire managers will closely monitor local weather conditions, such as wind and humidity, and adjust in the schedule as needed to ensure the safety of both crewmembers and local residents. Prior to lighting the burn, crews construct and designate firebreaks to ensure the fire does not leave the burn area. The burn will mimic historic natural fire as much as possible. Some individual trees will burn, but the fire should travel mostly across the forest floor. The Forest Service works closely with partners and is able to accomplish this important habitat work thanks to help from The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Virginia Department of Forestry, among others. For thousands of years, fire shaped our forests and wildlife and our lands need fire to be healthy. Low intensity prescribed burns create open areas where a diverse mix of grasses, plants and wildflowers grow, and provide valuable food and cover for wildlife such as bears, deer, turkeys and migratory birds. For the most up-to-date information visit the inciweb site: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7945/ For more information on our prescribed burn program, please contact the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area office at (276) 783-5196, visit our website www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj or follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/GWJNF and facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF 
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