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The USDA Forest Service is conducting a controlled burn on the Winding Stair Burn Unit in Fannin and Lumpkin Counties within the Chattahoochee National Forest on March 2, 2014. This controlled burn is approximately 3,700 acres and will require the closure of Forest Service roads and trails adjacent to and within the Jake and Bull Mountain Trail System for the health and safety of the public and prescribed fire crew. The following closures will take effect at 7:00 am on March 2, 2014 and last until 6:00 pm the same day.
Road Closures:
FS Road 77 (Winding Stair Gap Road)
FS Road 77A
FS Road 877
FS Road 28-A
FS Road 141 (Penn Cove Road)Trail Closures:
223K north of FS Road 28-1
223P north of FS Road 28-1
223L east and north of FS Road 77The Springer Mountain trailhead will remain open. Alternate access to Springer Mountain can be obtained by traveling north on Business Highway 19 to Camp Wahsega Road. Turn left on Camp Wahsega Road for approximately 9 miles to the intersection at Camp Frank D. Merrill. Turn right onto Forest Service Road 80; go approximately 3 miles to intersection with Forest Service Road 42. Turn left on Forest Service Road 42; go approximately 10 miles to Springer Mountain parking lot on right. The Appalachian Approach Trail that begins at Amicalola Falls State Park will also remain open.
The Forest Service uses controlled burns when conditions are just right to reduce the amount of vegetation and woody debris on the ground that could contribute to catastrophic wildfires, and also to reduce the risk of damage to the forest and neighboring property in the future. The burns also make the forest healthier and improve wildlife habitat because of the high nutritional value of the new growth that will take place this spring and the more open conditions in the forest.
These controlled burns are carefully planned by trained, experienced, and highly qualified professionals in the field of wildland fire management. Certain environmental conditions must be met before the Forest Service can conduct these burns. Months of planning are involved and very specific weather conditions must be in place before guidelines will allow the controlled burns to occur. It is usually not known exactly when a burn may be able to take place until hours beforehand due to uncertainties associated with forecasting detailed weather conditions. Most controlled burns take place during January, February and March.
For more information concerning these controlled burns or to view maps for the proposed burn areas, visit the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/conf/fire, or contact the Blue Ridge Ranger District Office at 706-745-6928. A free app that provides instant alerts for the national forest is also available for smart phone users by visiting the Forest’s website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/conf.
The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests provide the finest outdoor recreation opportunities and natural resources in Georgia. Featuring nearly 867,000 acres across 26 counties, thousands of miles of clear-running streams and rivers, approximately 850 miles of recreation trails, and dozens of campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreation activity opportunities, these lands are rich in natural scenery, history and culture. The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
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