Controlled burns to begin Tuesday in parts of southwest Virginia, per US Forest Service

You may see or smell smoke in parts of the area due to these burns

Prescribed burns taking place on Mar 1, 2022

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The U.S. Forest Service will begin controlled/prescribed burns Tuesday in an area north of Rural Retreat and in an area along Craig Creek Rd. on the east side of Sinking Creek Mountain in Montgomery County.

It’s warning that some of us in nearby areas will see or smell smoke from these one-day burns.

Recommended Videos



The purpose of these burns is to “improve wildlife habitat by restoring open woodlands and grasslands to the forest landscape.”

In a release sent out Monday, the Forest Service also said that burns will continue through late spring in parts of Montgomery, Botetourt, Craig, Pulaski and Giles Counties. You can read more about that here.

Remember that there is a statewide open-air burn ban in effect each day until 4 p.m. through the end of April.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.