Plans have been announced for several prescribed burns to be conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Fire management officials at the park have burns planned neat Wears Valley, Lynn Hollow and Cades Cove. The burns will take place between March and the end of May, as weather conditions permit.

The burn near Wears Valley will be on a 200-acre area just inside the park boundaries. Wear Cove Gap Road from the Metcalf Bottoms bridge to the park boundary at Wear Cove Gap and Roundtop Trail will be closed during the burn which should take two days.

The Lynn Hollow burn will be near Lake in the Sky and Top of the World community. It is scheduled for late March and will also take two days. The Goldmine Trail and Cooper Road will temporarily closed during the burn.

The purpose behind the prescribed burns is described by Fire Management Officer, Dave Loveland, “The Park conducts prescribed burns each year for a number of different objectives including hazard fuel reduction in the wildland urban interface and protection of natural resources. The use of prescribed fire helps decrease risks to life, property, and perpetuates the natural resource values for which the park was founded. The purpose of both these controlled burns is to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations in the vicinity of residential communities and to restore the diverse, yellow pine/hardwood forests.”

The Cades Cove burn will cover 200 acres. Since last November 600 acres have already been burned in the cove.

Loveland stated, “The fields burned earlier this season look great and we have achieved all of our hazardous fuels and resource management objectives.  We hope to continue and build on our earlier accomplishments.”

The Cades Cove Loop Road will remain open during the burn but there may be short delays for visitors due to smoke and other possible safety concerns.