Controlled burns ahead in upper Oconee and Pickens

Controlled burns are ahead at three South Carolina state parks in Oconee and Pickens. The plan is to treat up to 75 acres at Table Rock State Park in Pickens County and up to 322 acres at Devil’s Fork State Park in Oconee and up to 239 acres at Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County. The purpose is to improve habitat conditions for wildlife and recreation and to reduce hazardous forest fuels that cause wildfires. During the burns, there’s the potential to affect trails and roads in and around the parks. Temporary closures will be posted. The state concedes that immediately after a controlled burn, the area can look raw and desolate, but those conditions are temporary as new vegetation will soon green up from the forest floor.