Luray, Va – The U.S. Forest Service is scheduled to conduct a prescribed burn in Page and Shenandoah Counties starting on Wednesday.

The nearly 2,700-acre burn area is located near Luray and Edinburg.

The Forest Service will complete this burn over multiple days. If conditions allow, ignitions will begin on March 13th and end March 16th. Residents and forest visitors may see and smell smoke from this prescribed burn during that time and days after.

For safety reasons, Forest Service Road 274 and Crisman Hollow Road will be closed during burn implementation. Duncan Hollow, Gap Creek, and Scothorn Gap trails will also be closed for the safety of the public and fire personnel.

Smoke will be visible along Highway 30 from Springfield North to Front Royal and Fort Valley. Though the burn will produce a large column of smoke, there will be qualified firefighting personnel on site and secure fire breaks so the smoke should not be a cause for alarm. Smoke may settle in the valleys at night.

This burn will help reduce hazardous fuels and restore wildlife habitat to improve overall forest health by creating a mosaic of different aged trees and shrubs.