Single Publication

Location: Big Wilson burn area is located two miles southeast of Hot Springs and is located on lands administered by the USDA Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy.

Date and Time: Forest Service fire specialists together with The Nature Conservancy will continue burning a portion of the Big Wilson burn area on both Forest System Lands and Nature Conservancy lands on Friday, April 15. The ignition-phase planned for April 15 on Forest Service lands will be completed in one day; however, larger areas of the burn unit are planned to be burned next week, weather permitting. You may see smoke from this prescribed burn for several days.

Purpose: 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 fire managers will conduct prescribed burns only under appropriate weather conditions.

Additional Information and Road and Trail Closures:  Sandy Gap Trail (Forest Trail 637) will be temporarily closed for the duration of the burn. Dolly Anne Road, also called Smith Creek Road, (Forest Road 125) will have increased truck traffic. The prescribed burn is expected to have lingering smoke effects in the surrounding area.

Firefighter and public safety is our number one priority.

For the most up-to-date information visit the InciWeb site: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7945/ and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GWJNF and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF