News Release

Fire Crews Prepare for 2025 Prescribed Fire Season

2025 Prescribed Fire Locations

NPS

News Release Date: February 16, 2025

Contact: Christopher Derman, 423-569-9778

During the spring months of 2025, fire crews will conduct prescribed fire operations, located along Bald Knob and Newtie King (Bear Creek) Areas, in the Kentucky District of the park. Fields located throughout Tennessee and Kentucky will also be targeted for burning. Prescribed fire, as defined in the approved Fire Management Plan, will be located within the boundaries of the park.

Approximately 1,100 acres are scheduled to be burned in the Bald Knob area, between Water’s Cemetery Road and the Ledbetter Multi-Use trail. During the burn, temporary closures of trails and park roads will occur for visitor safety. These roads and trails include Water’s Cemetery Road, Ledbetter Multi-Use Trail, and Portions of the Kentucky Trail between Oil Well Branch and Water’s Cemetery Road.

Approximately 130 acres in the Bear Creek area comprises the Newtie King burn unit along the Bear Creek Road. During the burn, temporary closures of the following park roads and trails will occur for visitor safety. These include portions of Bear Creek Road, portions of the Bear Creek Loop horse trail, portions of the Cotton Patch Loop horse trail, and the Bear Creek Overlook trail.

The public can expect visible smoke on burn day for the Bald Knob and Newtie King burns. Smoke impacts during the day are expected to be minimal with some minor visual impacts on nearby roads.

Field burning throughout the park will result in minimal impacts to the public with road and trail closures immediately adjacent to fields being burnt. Minimal smoke impacts are expected.

As priority, fire crews are now working on prepping these units to burn safely and effectively. The expectation is and will be to initiate the prescribed fire as soon as possible. Local communities can expect minimal smoke and visibility impacts.

Implementation of burn operations is dependent upon a variety of conditions. Prescribed fires are conducted within specific parameters including temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed to name a few.

Fire is an essential, natural process, having shaped the landscape for thousands of years, releasing, and recycling nutrients tied up in vegetation, duff, and organic soil layers, improving the overall health of plants and animals. During the planning of these prescribed burn units, areas of historical, cultural, and ecological importance are protected.