Prescribed fire planned at Oak Mountain State Park in March

As part of long-term longleaf pine restoration, Alabama State Parks will conduct a prescribed burn of two longleaf pine zones at Oak Mountain State Park this month if weather permits.

The prescribed burns will take place in two locations inside the park: approximately 168 acres near the upper fishing lakes and approximately 130 acres near the campground. The longleaf management program at OMSP is a partnership between Alabama State Parks and The Nature Conservancy, who provide trained personnel, ATV equipment and logistics expertise to assist with the controlled burns.

While the park will work to ensure proper smoke management and safety of the surrounding areas during this burn period, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the City of Pelham Fire Department will be on standby if they are needed.

Prescribed burning is used for maintenance of wildlife habitat and releasing nutrients into the soil to stimulate growth of native grasses. Tasha Simon, natural resources planner of the State Parks Division Montgomery office said the only impact to visitors will be smoke near the campground.

“They won’t be closing any campsites,” she said. “The white trail will be closed during that time. The other area being burned is near the fishing center. Safety is our number one concern when it comes to park visitors. If something happens, we will let people know with signage, information at trail heads and park rangers will be patrolling to let visitors know.”

While the burn has been scheduled for the month of March, burning dates will depend upon weather conditions.

The park will share information about burn dates on its Facebook page.