A prescribed burn will take place on 7 units on the north end of Cumberland Island tentatively in January or February, conditions permitting. This prescribed burn will encompass 413 acres within the following burn units: Triangle, Settlement South, Settlement North, Settlement East, Halfmoon Pines, Halfmoon Bluff, and Burbank Point. The burn will support the park’s structural protection plan for structures on the north end, while allowing for natural fire to play its role in the wilderness area to its south.
Fire personnel carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions that are favorable to assuring firefighter and visitor safety and to achieving desired objectives.
Impacts to visitors from area closures and smoke are expected to be minimal with a possibility of closures along selected trails and destination to be short in duration up to 2 days.
This burn will be significant for our fire program because we will be able to burn adjacent to some of the most vulnerable NPS and private residential structures. We will also be able to introduce fire into a fire dependent long leaf pine ecosystem that has one prescribed burn recorded in it. These treatments further secure our ability to hold fire within the Cumberland Island Wilderness and manage natural fire for multiple objectives including resource benefits on Cumberland Island.
Wildland fires are an important part of the ecology of southern forests. Regularly occurring fires are essential for a healthy coastal forest. Benefits include clearing dead forest litter, encouraging reproduction, and rejuvenating the soil with nutrients. Some ecosystems would not exist without a healthy fire progression.
Long leaf pine, which occur on the northern portion of the island, need fire to sweep through the area to clear the forest floor of debris to allow seedlings to germinate. Long leaf pine saplings grow rapidly at first to get their needles above the ground where a low burning fire could damage them. With regular burns, these forests are kept clear of dead fuels, reducing the risk of large scale and destructive wildfires.
What to Expect:
* The Settlement will be closed during ignitions around the structures but will be opened up once it is safe.
* The Bunkley Trail will remain closed until Fire personnel deem trails safe for visitors.
* Road guards will be posted on the main road to monitor traffic flow and ensure visitor safety. Expect delays along the main road if traveling between the wharf and the settlement.
* Visitors can utilize the main road (with potential delays) and beach to move about the island.
* Expect to see and smell smoke in the areas surrounding the Stafford area.
* Visitors should expect to see fire personnel in the vicinity during the prescribed burn as well as several days after.
* For your safety please follow all posted signs and stay on marked trails and roadways.
* Hikers or visitors with concerns on how the prescribed burn may affect their reservation should call the park office at (912) 882 - 4336 ext 254.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
