Smokies spring burns — 423 acres

The National Park Service says the planned operations will treat roughly 180 acres in Wear Cove Gap and 243 acres in Lynn Hollow—about 423 acres total—with burn windows that may begin as early as March 25 and continue through March 31 to reduce fuels, maintain resilient natural systems and protect communities along the park boundary. (nps.gov)) Planned temporary closures listed by the park include Flats Road between Bear Road and the park boundary; Wear Cove Gap Road (Metcalf Bottoms remains accessible from Little River Road); Gold Mine Trail from the Steffner Circle trailhead to Cooper Road Trail; Cooper Road Trail from Little Bottoms Trail to Goldmine Trail; Roundtop Trail; and loss of access to Little Greenbrier, Metcalf Bottoms Trail and Little Brier Gap Trail from Metcalf Bottoms or Wear Cove Gap Road. (nps.gov)) Park guidance notes drivers should reduce speed in work zones, avoid stopping on roadways, roll up windows and use headlights if smoke is present, while firefighters construct control lines by clearing brush and leaf litter to keep fires within planned boundaries. (nps.gov)) The park says resources from the U.S. Forest Service and local fire departments in Blount and Sevier counties will provide assistance and that fire resources will be staged at neighboring properties as an extra precaution during operations. (nps.gov)) Earlier this season the park completed a separate large burn in Cades Cove that treated about 900 acres, demonstrating the agency’s broader use of prescribed fire at landscape scale. (wlos.com)) Local wildflower reporting notes Craggy Gardens’ signature rhododendron displays usually peak in early to mid‑June while Graveyard Fields’ open meadows hit their best blooms from April through early June, and officials say popular trailheads can fill quickly during peak bloom periods. (828newsnow.com))