Natchez Trace Parkway to conduct Spring prescribed fires

TUPELO, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – The National Park Service will conduct prescribed fires along Natchez Trace Parkway beginning in March. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur between March 11 and April 15. Firefighters plan to burn the following areas:

• Chickasaw County: Witch Dance, Chickasaw Agency, Hernando de Soto, Monroe Mission
• Pontotoc County: Mississippi Highway 41 access road, Tockshish 
• Lee County: Chickasaw Village, Park Headquarters, Old Trace, and Confederate Gravesites

Motorists should reduce speed to a maximum of 30 mph, turn on headlights, and stay alert when smoke is visible and where fire crews are at work.

Please be aware of park rangers, firefighters, and equipment along the roadway. There may be short-term closures of trails and pullouts during the burns. If visibility falls below 500 feet (150 m), the parkway may be closed until the smoke has cleared. Smoke may be visible for several days after initial prescribed fire operations.

These prescribed fires are funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law is making historic investments in forest restoration, hazardous fuels management, and post-wildfire restoration activities across America’s national parks, forests, and grasslands. Prescribed fires reduce hazardous fuels that could burn in a wildfire and help restore native prairie and open woodlands. Check the park website and social media pages for up-to-date information on fire operations.

For more information about Natchez Trace Parkway Fire Management, please visit http://www.nps.gov/natr/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm.

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