UNDATED - Fire managers with the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest have begun the first of several prescribed burns as part of the U.S Department of Agriculture's (USDA) "2015-2016 prescribed fire season."
According to a media release from the USDA's U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region, up to 32,000 acres may be burned during the season, which runs from mid-November 2015 to mid-March 2016. Officials say the burns are intended to improve "wildife habitat and maintain a healthy forest."
The total extent of the burns depends largely on a set of precise conditions, which include wind and humidity, being met.
Mike Davis, Fire Management Officer for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, says authorities take every possible precaution to ensure the job is done as efficiently and safely as possible.
“Each burn is carefully planned and implemented to achieve maximum benefit to the forest while minimizing impacts to the local community,” he said.
Officials say fire managers will also "utilize tactics to minimize smoke impacts," such as timing ignitions to allow smoke to disperse prior to overnight settling and burning larger sections to lower the total number of days smoke will be noticeable in a given area.
More information about the 2015-2016 prescribed burn season, including detailed maps displaying the selected areas, can be found by clicking this link.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/11/352865/32000-acres-selected-for-2015-2016-prescribed-burn-season-in-north-ga