Trailside Burning in Virginia

The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch has an article by Carrie J. Sidener titled "Set fires clear way for nature; Prescribed burns help George Washington National Forest and test Forest Service crews" in its 7 April 2007 issue.

The article begins with a USDA Forest Service employee surveying smoke rising from a ridge while standing on the Appalachian Trail. "The 460 acres along the ridge is a part of the George Washington National Forest and it has a prescription to burn." It had been slated for a burn for several years, but wind conditions had never been just right.

Now, however, "the Appalachian Trail forms one of the boundaries for the burn and the other is the forest service road that accesses the area."

Ummm, keep an eye out for it when you hike through the area? Or at least know that the blackened earth trailside is both intentional and a good thing.