February 8, 2025

The National Forests and Grasslands of Texas will conduct controlled burning operations across its landscape in the coming months.

Controlled burns are carefully planned, prepared, and conducted by qualified personnel taking into account available support resources, seasonality, vegetation conditions, and weather forecasts before burning any burn area. Columns of smoke may be visible on burn days, and some forest areas and access roads may be closed to provide firefighter and public safety. All controlled burns are coordinated with participating counties in compliance with any applicable local burn restrictions.

Controlled burn areas may be marked with signs, including signboards and electronic road signs. Those near national forests may see drifting smoke or smoke columns, reduced visibility in low-lying areas, and increased vehicle traffic on fire roads. If drivers encounter smoke on the road, they should reduce their speed and use low-beam lights to be more visible to other traffic.

“The public may see a helicopter or UAS (unmanned aerial system) aircraft overhead, columns of smoke rising, and smoke settling in low-lying areas at night,” said the National Forests and Grasslands of Texas Fire. Management Officer Jamie Sowell.

This year, a new online prescribed fire (controlled burn) mapping tool will be available to track proposed, active, and completed burns. A new map tool is located at the Southern Region Prescribed Burn Accomplishment Tracker (arcgis.com)

“We will continue to post our controlled burns on our website the morning of the burn, and the online mapping tool will provide updated information on the status of burns on National Forest lands.” Sowell said. “Also, the NFGT Facebook page is updated on the morning of any controlled burning activity.”

Controlled burning dramatically reduces the chance of a wildfire spreading out of control. Therefore, controlled burning protects subdivisions, businesses, and transportation corridors from potential fires. Additionally, controlled burning is something that uses low-intensity fire to “clean up” vegetation that restricts food supplies for wildlife and livestock and reduces fuel loadings to reduce the potential for destructive fires.

Burning the underbrush promotes new growth of tender plants that are beneficial to wildlife such as birds,

deer, and turkeys. Additionally, prescribed burns benefit wildlife habitat by removing dead and dying vegetation from the understory, improving forage availability and viewing quality for wildlife. Reducing underbrush also improves nesting and nesting habitat for turkey, quail, deer, and other wildlife species.

The Forest Service will only fire when environmental conditions are most favorable based on weather forecasts from the National Weather Service and within the direction and policy outlined.

For individuals with respiratory and other health problems, we recommend closing windows and ventilating their homes by using air conditioning or heating systems. Others may want to leave the area until the smoke clears. We encourage anyone who is sensitive to smoking to contact the local Ranger’s District Office to provide contact information so we can notify you of the day of planned burns in your area.

For more information, visit our website and follow the fire information section. www.fs.usda.gov/texas.

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