USDA plans prescribed burns for Bankhead, other Alabama national forests [Video]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — USDA Forest Service plans to conduct prescribed burns on approximately 193,584 acres throughout Alabama’s national forests – Bankhead, Conecuh, Talladega, and Tuskegee.  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 …