Prescribed burn to start between 11am and noon

The Andrew Pickens Ranger District forecasts that the smoke from today’s prescribed burn is likely to drift northward, which means it could be a smoky afternoon in and around Highlands, North Carolina.  Today’s burn is to encompass 826 acres in the units called Rifle Range and Presbyterian Lake.  That acreage will be between Rich Mountain Road, Cedar Creek Road, and Cassidy Bridge Road.  The Cedar Creek Rifle Range is closed today.  Prescribed burns are undertaken to reduce hazardous fuel loads of dry grass and shrubs, help manage landscapes, restore natural woodland, and benefit wildlife habitat.