By Stephen Smoot
In the past few weeks, as temperatures have bounced between late winter and mid summer and robust breezes dominate many days, some residents living near the Monongahela National Forest and the George Washington National Forest have seen the telltale signs of fire.
Smoke rising to the sky or riding the wind naturally creates concerns among residents. Especially with the Potomac Highlands mostly living on the edge of official drought status, memories of dangerous outbreaks remain fresh in minds.
Last week, a prescribed burn near Harrisonburg, Virginia, on about 4,500 acres created smoke plumes visible from space.
The United States Forest Service, under the United States Department of Agriculture, uses forest management practices to reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled wildfires while also working to enhance overall forest health. As USFS shared, “Prescribed fire is used where current forest conditions have departed from the ecological processes that historically maintained them.”
Using more than 400 Research Natural Areas, the USFS monitors certain areas more closely to determine trends of, and threats to, forest growth.
According to the USFS, the Central Appalachian forests “represent one of the world’s foremost examples of intact, diverse temperate forests and well-connected waterways” and are “an essential resource to millions of people” with “more than 200 globally rare plants and animals, expansive spaces for outdoor recreation, safe drinking water and clean air for millions of Americans, and timber products vital to the regional economy.”
Observed and analyzed conditions in the RNAs help to direct forest management practices. One of the most important such zones in the Potomac Highlands is the Fernow Experimental Forest in Tucker County.
“Established in 1934 within the Monongahela National Forest, the Fernow is a 4,700-acre outdoor laboratory and classroom in the mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, named in honor of Bernhard Fernow, a pioneer in American forestry research,” states the USFS.
It continues by explaining that “Fernow was originally established to address water quantity, water quality, and timber quality issues. Research on the Fernow was terminated during World War II; however, a new research program was reinitiated in 1948 to study the silviculture of mixed hardwood forests and watersheds of the Central Appalachians.”
That mission continues along with other research and observation.
As the USFS explained, this research has shown that “many Appalachian hardwood systems, particularly oak and oak-hickory forests, developed with periodic low-to-moderate-intensity, indigenous led fire.”
This means that in a state of nature, wildfires perform a task of “cleaning up” dead vegetation that forms fire friendly collections of debris.
“Decades of fire exclusion have led to increased surface fuel loading, denser understories, and a shift toward more fire-sensitive, shade tolerant species such as red maple and American beech,” stated the USFS.
With fewer fire-resilient species, such as oak and hickory, “these changes reduce forest resilience, limit oak regeneration, and can increase the risk of more severe, uncharacteristic wildfire.” Other issues leading to this include the blight and parasite induced mass deaths of elm and ash trees, emerging diseases striking American beech trees, East Asian originating invasive insect and plant species, as well as the natural emergence of fast and hot burning pine and scrub trees in abandoned or unused pastures.
Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency Services coordinator, noted in a November 2025 Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting that the most recent wildfires in areas such as Big Mountain showed treetop burning and other issues more common in fires out West. This shows an enhanced danger present in “unhealthy” forests. Gillespie also noted the emergence of small flame tornadoes in recent fires.
Doug Mongold, chief of the Moorefield Volunteer Fire Department, shared that another recent threat to area forests has come from days of higher sustained winds during dry periods. Accumulations of debris, plus dry conditions, plus wind, creates conditions that make these USFS controlled burns even more necessary through removal of areas where fires have a high chance of starting and spreading quickly.
Prescribed burns have several aims. First, they remove “hazardous fuel buildup” from natural sources, such as dried leaves, dead trees, and other “debris . . . accumulated due to decades of fire suppression, elevating wildlife risk.” It also works to reset “forest composition” more toward oak and hickory, away from species such as red maple.
Resetting the forest composition also brings the ecosystem back to the USFS research established baseline for healthy forests. In a less cluttered, less fire-sensitive environment, one will find more “structural diversity, creating foraging and nesting opportunities for species like wild turkey, grouse, pollinators, and songbirds.”
Not only research, but also precise planning goes into intentional prescribed burns. As the USFS shared, these events “are developed with a detailed, written approved burn plan.” A qualified team led by a “Burn Boss” creates lines of control with heavy equipment and also using natural firebreaks, such as roads, for boundaries.
Officials also closely monitor weather conditions, only giving the go-ahead if weather conditions pose no threat to remove the fire from USFS control. Should conditions create problems, the USFS will postpone action until they improve. Typically, burns take place during the spring months due to optimal conditions for a successful event.
Experience in forest management since the establishment of federally managed forestlands has seen a complete shift in policy. In the early decades, all priority was given to fire suppression since “fire was viewed as a threat to timber resources.” Work by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression brought fire observation towers, improved access, and other detection and control systems. During the past half century, however, experts have studied the role of “good fire” in managing and restoring ecosystems.
Those living in or near an area of prescribed burn should understand that large burn areas will sometimes require blocking public access during the event. The USFS will place warning signs to alert residents and travelers to the burn. Heavy smoke may impede visibility temporarily, especially for drivers.
The USFS makes great efforts to communicate prescribed burns through updates, maps, and news releases on specific national forest websites. Notices also circulate through both local and social media. Officials work with local emergency management officials, especially 911 telecommunicators, to ensure that they have complete situational awareness with which to inform those who call to report.
