The National Park Service initiated a prescribed burn today at Grandview National Park in Carper Field. The prescribed burn, also known as a control burn, was located in a grass unit of approximately 14 acres.
Burns are carried out in order to burn away natural fuels that can spark wild fires, but this prescribed burn was ignited for another reason.
“It prepares this area so that it is just going to be a grassland. We are really trying to do some stuff for our birds. It is really great for bird habitats and that is what we are trying to study, to see if the population of birds will come back if we clear out some of the hardwoods” said Lizzie Watts, Park Superintendent of New River Gorge National River.
The National Park Service conducts prescribed burns every year and this is the second burn at Carper Field for the year.
