fire in the Smokies

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rhyno
Posts: 16
Joined: July 7th, 2015, 10:05 am

fire in the Smokies

Post by rhyno »

Does anyone know the extent of burning within the Great Smoky Mountains national park? I've had no trouble finding news about the horrific property damage, but a tougher time finding out which parts of the park are most affected--though I'm reading that one wildfire started at the Chimney Tops and spread northward to Gatlinburg; this seems to bode ill for our herp friends in the park (along with all of the plants & other animals, first responders, and the citizens of the area). :(
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Badgerberling
Posts: 21
Joined: April 14th, 2011, 12:07 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: fire in the Smokies

Post by Badgerberling »

You can read the federal fire incident reports at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov. The column headings allow you to sort the reports on several parameters. Clicking on the incident name takes you to a map showing the extent of a given fire. Many of the recent fires are listed as "North Carolina".
BethH
Posts: 115
Joined: May 12th, 2013, 6:47 pm

Re: fire in the Smokies

Post by BethH »

I have absolutely no idea of the number of acres that burned, but I was there a couple of weeks ago and can tell you what my non-scientist eyes saw. I was on or near the road the whole time. There were areas near the Chimneys, and toward Gatlinburg that very obviously burned, but there were *many* gaps that escaped burning. Actually, I'd say that more did NOT burn than did burn, between the Chimneys and Gatlinburg. It appeared that in the burned areas, the underbrush burned, and that mostly, the upper portions of trees did not. I asked a couple of rangers if the trees survived, because the trunks and above looked ok. I was told they aren't sure, because the roots could have been burned, thus killing the trees. We came from the Cosby side, and the only areas that we saw burned were really between the Chimneys and Gatlinburg, parts of Gatlinburg and up the ridge with Ober Gatlinburg. We drove over to Cherokee and saw no burn scars, and we went to Cade's Cove and then out Townsend, and saw no burn scars. We saw a black bear hunting for something to eat between Gatlinburg and the Chimneys, and then a sow and two cubs just outside of Cade's Cove, so some residents made it fine. I trust that next spring, more will make themselves known. I hope that those unburned areas are home to many creatures who can then repopulate the areas that may now be without.
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