Parts of state park close for controlled burn

Portions of Table Rock State Park in Pickens County closed for most of the day yesterday, as fire crews conducted a controlled burn of about 50 acres. The East Gate entrance, Lakeside Trail and east side of the park, which had been off-limits, will be open today during normal park hours. The primary objectives of the burn were to improve wildlife habitat, reduce fuel loads, which help prevent catastrophic wildfire such as the Pinnacle Mountain Wildfire in 2016. The Pinnacle Mountain wildfire was the largest mountain fire in recorded history in South Carolina. According to the SC State Park Service, yesterday’s controlled burn returned “good fire” back to the forest under controlled conditions. The effort involved SC Forestry Commission leading the burn with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy wildland fire personnel, the Pumpkintown Fire Department and the cooperation efforts of the Park Service. It’s is part of a collaborative effort called the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network, a partnership of public and private organizations working together to use controlled burns to maintain healthy forests in the Southern Blue Ridge.