CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Some coastal Georgia residents may see smoke rising from Cumberland Island in the next month as park rangers plan to burn dead vegetation and other debris.
The National Park Service says the controlled burn will be conducted within the next 30 days on the island's debris pile set aside for brush and scraps collected during landscaping and maintenance of dirt roads.
Fred Boyles, the park superintendent on Cumberland Island, says fire managers will be trying to burn on days when weather conditions are favorable to dispersing any smoke and blowing it out to sea. Still, the Park Service says smoke will likely be visible on the island for several days.
Cumberland Island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island with more than 9,800 acres of federally protected wilderness.