The National Park Service (NPS) and Appalachian Piedmont Coastal Fire Management Zone plan to burn approximately 96 acres across six fields in Cataloochee Valley at Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week. Weather permitting, burn operations may begin as early as Tuesday, March 12.

Over the last 20 years, park managers have conducted burns during the spring and fall in Cades Cove. However, the last time fire managers conducted a prescribed burn in Cataloochee was 2015, and this will be the first time all of the Cataloochee meadows will receive prescribed fire treatments. These prescribed burns will help maintain open fields at Cataloochee, safely reduce fuels, manage pollinator habitat and preserve the historic landscape.

Before conducting a prescribed burn, park staff closely monitor fire weather conditions including vegetation and soil moisture, wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity to ensure that conditions meet the burn plan objectives for the site.

Motorists along Cataloochee Entrance Road and Cataloochee Creek Road should reduce speed, turn on headlights and stay alert when smoke is visible. Be aware of park rangers, firefighters and equipment along the roadway. The roads may close temporarily during operations for firefighter and visitor safety.

The prescribed burns in Cataloochee Valley are funded in part through a generous donation from the park’s philanthropic partner Friends of the Smokies.