The smoke you smell isn’t an emergency
Tom Govus found the landscape outside his house in Cartecay covered in thick smoke.
“The last time it had been like this was when there was a big forest fire that burned thousands of acres,” he said.
But the smoke wasn’t a forest fire, even if it felt stifling. Instead, it was a controlled burn scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 27.
The burn was one of several, taking place at Owltown Road, Bear Creek Road and Highway 282, according to the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office app.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Gilmer County is currently in a severe drought. This is the third highest of five drought rankings.
“I just think this was executed incorrectly,” Govus, a retired biologist, said.
When humidity is low, water gets drawn out of flammable materials and into the atmosphere. At times like these, forest fires can start easily. The last time humidity was predicted to drop below 25 percent, the National Weather Service put out a warning for Gilmer County.
“The humidity was 22 percent, and the wind was blowing,” Govus said. “It just seemed like you could do a better job.”
According to Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) Fire Chief Thomas Barret, drought measurements look at water levels, and can be misleading when thinking about fire safety. The GFC has strict regulations on large prescribed burns.
“We’re looking at a variety of factors just to determine whether or not we even issue a permit,” he said.
Despite the drought, cold winter weather is a good time for prescribed burns, Barret said.
“The winter when the trees are not actively growing is generally the safest time to do it,” he said.
Even in a drought, it’s important to clear out underbrush with fires because it helps keep forests safer.
“There’s lots of reasons to do a prescribed burn, and one of the biggest ones is to control some of the underbrush that could catch fire,” he said.
If you burn forests on occasion, it removes fuel that can build up to create a massive forest fire.
If you see smoke or fire and are concerned, you should check georgiafc.firesponse.com/public/ to see where controlled burns are happening.
If you have concerns, you can call 911 if it is an emergency or the GFC’s Ellijay office at 706-635-2363.
“Folks are generally not just going out there, lighting the woods on fire and walking away,” Barret said.