As scheduled, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) continued prescribed burning on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest about five miles northeast of Cornelia Monday. But the burn Monday was scaled back because of the direction of the wind.
The fire operations are being conducted in the Lake Russell Wildlife Management Area. Crews planned to burn 110 acres Monday and another 1,694 Tuesday. When the work began Saturday, they hoped to finish it Monday.
“To reduce smoke impacts to nearby residents and communities, fire managers reduced planned acres today,” a USFS Monday alert said. “Weather conditions are expected to change tomorrow, providing necessary transport winds to move smoke out of the area, allowing completion of the burn…”
The forest service has said the object of the burn is to clear vegetation that would be good fuel for fires and for “habitat improvement,” defined as “practices that enhance the conditions of a forest to support native plants and animals.”