Series of controlled burns planned in Cades Cove this week

Series of controlled burns planned in Cades Cove this week

CADES COVE (WATE) -- Great Smokies fire managers plan a series of controlled burns of fields in Cades Cove on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, if the weather permits.

Managers plan to burn several tracts west of Hyatt Lane on Wednesday, then the interior of the Loop between Hyatt Lane and Sparks Lane on Thursday and Friday.

The selected fields total about 450 acres.

They're being burned as part of a cost-effective strategy to keep the fields from being reclaimed by forest.

The park contracts to mow about 950 acres of fields that are clearly visible from the Cades Cove Loop Road twice a year.

Other fields that are less visible from the Loop Road, totaling around 1,000 acres, are kept open by burning or mowing on a three year rotation.

Most years, the park does the Cades Cove burns in March or April, but has moved the project forward because the Loop Road will be closed from March 1 through May 21, 2010 for construction.

Park firefighters and an engine will be assigned each day to ignite the grass lands and make sure the fire stays in its prescribed boundaries.

Strips of grass surrounding each field to be burned have been mowed short to make containment lines.

"At this point we do not expect to have to close the Cades Cove Loop Road, but will monitor the situation for smoke or other safety hazards," said park fire management Officer Mark Taylor.