135-Acre Controlled Burn At Valley Forge Park To Take Place Tuesday, Wednesday
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) - A 135-acre prescribed fire at Valley Forge National Historical Park will begin Tuesday morning. Officials say the controlled burns will help reduce invasive plant species in park meadows.
The burns will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in multiple meadows near Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) and Gulph Road, beginning at 10 a.m. The operations could take from two days to one week to complete, say officials.
The area for the burn is within the Grand Parade area, a high-priority habitat area with a diverse mixture of native and non-native plant species that will be assessed following the burn. The burns will help control the invasive plants found in the fields, like Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) and Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana).
Park officials say the burns will be conducted outside of normal commuting hours but the public should expect to see smoke and fire adjacent to trails and roadways. The smoke could cause traffic delays.
The following areas will be open for viewing:
Public Viewing Areas: Varnum's Picnic Area and Artillery Park, Portions of Joseph Plumb Martin Trail (Field #1), Maurice Stephens House Parking Lot and Joseph Plumb Martin Trail Along PA Route 23 (Field #23).
The following areas will be closed during the burns:
Public Closures for Field #1: Von Steuben Statue and Maurice Stephen House Parking Areas, North Inner Line Drive, Grand Parade Trail from the North End of Baptist Trace to Maurice Stephens House, Baptist Trace Trail from Gulph Road to Route 23, "Underlook Trail" from Baptist Trace to the Grand Parade Trail.
Public Closures for Field #23: Chapel Parking Lot (NPS portion), Chapel Trail.
For more information on the burns, including frequently asked questions and public resources click here.