The U.S. Forest Service has extended the deadline for public comment on the proposed prescribed burn in the Linville Gorge Wilderness of Pisgah National Forest. Comments can now be submitted until Jan. 31. The original deadline was this Tuesday, Jan. 15. The prescribed burn would take place on about 11,700 acres inside Linville Gorge, which sits in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest in McDowell and Burke counties, and around 4,800 acres of the forest outside the wilderness area, for a total of over 16,500 acres. According to the Forest Service, the prescribed burn would be beneficial to many of the plant and tree species in the area and help reduce dense vegetation that would better protect surrounding communities by reducing the risk of sever wildfire. Some residents who live on land adjacent to the proposed burn area are worried about the impacts of such a large fire. A grassroots group has formed a website called “Save the Linville Gorge Wilderness,” (www.savelgw.org) and created an online petition urging people who love the gorge not to let it burn. Comments can be sent to:
comments-southern-north-carolina@fs.fed.us For more information, visit
www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=37966.
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