Controlled Burn At Popular Smokies Site
The National Park Service has started controlled burns in Cades Cove that help preserve the area’s lush meadows that attract wildlife and promote ecological diversity.
Rudy Evenson, the fire information officer for the park service, told The Knoxville News Sentinel that shortly after they started the fires on Tuesday that he has already seen wild turkey coming in to find bugs and other food (http://bit.ly/t6PhDt).
The park service plans to burn about 150 acres in this year’s annual controlled burn that is occurring through Friday.
Evenson said the burns keep trees from overrunning the meadows, where turkeys and other ground-nesting birds live. About 30 park service firefighters are on the ground monitoring the fire.
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