Prescribed burns planned for Bankhead

BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST - USDA Forest Service plans to conduct prescribed burns on approximately 193,584 acres throughout Alabama’s national forests – Bankhead, Conecuh, Talladega, and Tuskegee.
For the Bankhead National Forest, 21,307 acres in Winston and Lawrence counties will be burned.
Depending on weather conditions, the low-intensity prescribed burns will take place within the next six months by trained USDA Forest Service federal fire management specialists. The purpose is to remove excess fuel, such as vegetation and dead wood, in an effort to improve habitat for plants and wildlife and to protect communities from the danger of any future wildfires.
In order to minimize smoke impacts, prescribed fire activity is controlled and dependent on experienced Forest Service personnel, equipment, weather, fuels and conditions.  The benefits of prescribed fires are endless, according to Forest Service Fire Management Officer Martel Knipe.
"As a result, hazardous fuels are reduced and human communities are protected from extreme fires," Knipe said.  “Using prescribed fires reduce pest problems and disease spread. It also restores nutrients to the soil so that trees and flowers can grow,” Knipe said.
Forest Service fire management specialists write prescribed burn plans to identify the best conditions under which trees and other plants will burn for the greatest results.  Before implementing a prescribed burn, fire management specialists consider temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. Prescribed fire management specialists compare conditions on the ground to those outlined in burn plans before deciding whether to burn on a given day.
As the Forest Service perform prescribed burns, the public may notice smoke in various parts of national forests in Alabama. Please follow the Forest Service National Forests in Alabama on  Facebook or X for prescribed burn notifications or visit our website at www.fs.usda.gov/alabama under the "Know Before You Go" section. If you have questions about the benefits of prescribed fire and planned 2025 planned burns, contact a Forest Service district office and visit the Forest Service website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/alabama/fire 

 


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