Prescribed burns are being scheduled for five public land areas across Kentucky.
In Eastern Kentucky, that includes the Clay, Grayson Lake and Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Areas. Burns are also scheduled for central Kentucky’s Taylorsville Lake and Green River Lake. That’s 2,096 acres of land in total.
Jacob Stewart is the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Private Lands Program Coordinator and Fire Management Officer. He says these controlled fires improve forest health, removing invasive species and helping native wildlife thrive. It also helps manage the state’s agricultural economy.
“If we were burning in an oak system, and we wanted to harvest those oaks later, or we didn't want to kill the oaks, we’ll burn a slow burning fire that won't hurt the big oaks, but it will take out the younger maples and the invasive species that we're trying to manage,” Stewart said.
Information on when the burns are happening will be available online when conditions are ideal. Stewart says to check the Department’s website or social media regularly and stay away from the blocked off areas the day of the burns.
“The fire is not the only thing that can be dangerous,” Stewart said. “There's other trees that can fall down during this process and it's just a good idea to stay away from any of those areas. There'll be signage up identifying these areas so people know what's happening.”
Information for landowners on controlled burns is available on the Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council’s website.
