Details & Itinerary
Our 3 day tour includes stops at 3 of the most notable wildfires of the 2016 Southern Blue Ridge wildfire season. We have reserved a bus and have a secure place to park your vehicle while we travel. Lunches will be provided. You will be responsible for making your own hotel reservations. For lodging and contact information, click here. You will be free for dinner on your own. There are restaurants within walking distance at each location. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We'll see you on the bus!
June 6
Party Rock Fire
Lake Lure, NC
Began on November 3, 2016 and burned more than 7000 acres on the steep terrain outside of a busy tourist area in western NC.
For the InciWeb page about this fire, click here.
8:00 AM Depart Mountain Lodge for Party Rock Fire location
8:30 AM Arrive at Lake Lure Town Hall
8:45 AM Welcome to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village's Perspective, Bob Keith - Mayor of Lake Lure and Peter O'Leary - Mayor of Chimney Rock Village
9:15 AM Fighting the Party Rock Fire from a Fire Chief's Perspective, Ron Morgan - Fire Chief of Lake Lure
9:45 AM Travel to trailhead
10:00 AM Hike to Party Rock fire origin
What happens after the fire? Panel Discussions and How They Have Been Effective at Education, Jennifer Adams and David Lee - Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy
12:00 PM Lunch at Party Rock (the fire origin)
12:45 PM Fire effects at Party Rock: From fuels consumption and soil exposure to vegetative response, Marshall Ellis - NC State Parks
1:15 PM NC Forest Service presentation TBD
1:45 PM Hike back to the bus
3:00 PM Depart for Gatlinburg
5:00 PM Arrive at Greystone Lodge in Gatlinburg
June 7
Chimney Tops II Fire
Gatlinburg, TN
Began on November 23, 2016 and spread over 5 miles to the town of Gatlinburg. This fire received a large amount of media attention due to damage and forced evacuations. For the InciWeb page about this fire, click here.
8:00 AM Depart Greystone Lodge for Chimney Tops Overlook
8:20 AM Arrive at Chimney Tops Overlook
Welcome and Overview of the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, Greg Salansky and Rob Klein - National Park Service
9:00 AM Chimneys Picnic Area
Wildlife Impacts, Jessica Giacomini and Cory Blair - University of Tennessee
9:45 AM Carlos Campbell Overlook
Overview of the Burned Area, Greg Salansky and Rob Klein - National Park Service
10:45 AM Hike Cove Mountain Trail
From Green to Black: a look at Various Fire Severities and Table Mountain Pine, Emily Snider - UNC
Delayed Mortality of Overstory as Correlated to Duff Consumption, Joe O'Brien - Ecologist - USFS Southern Research Station and Dana Carpenter - UGA
1:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM Mynatt Park and Park Vista
Gatlinburg WUI, Leon Konz - Firewise Coordinator TN Division of Forestry and Shane Paxton - GSMNP Fire Module
3:00 PM Depart Gatlinburg for Dalton, GA
5:30 PM Arrive in Dalton, GA
June 8
Rough Ridge Fire
Flat Rock, NC
Began October 16, 2016 due to a lightening strike and burned more than 27,000 acres. This fire required a large amount of personnel and over a month to contain. For the InciWeb page about this fire, click here.
8:00 AM Depart for Rough Ridge Fire
8:30 AM Conasauga Ranger Station
Welcome and Fire Overview, Jeff Gardner - USFS District Ranger, Conasauga Ranger District
Fire Chief's Perspective, Larry Thomas - Fannin County Fire Chief
10:30 AM Cottonwood Patch
Fire Impacts to the Conasauga River - Ruth Stokes, District Biologist
11:15 AM East Cowpen Burn Unit
Prescribed Burning Success as Use for Control Line along WUI Boundary - Jeff Schardt, District Fire Management Officer
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Buffalo Prescribed Burn
Impact of Repeated Dormant Season Prescribed Burning and Interactions with Free Range Wildfire - Jeff Schardt, District Fire Management Officer
1:15 PM Rice Camp
Challenges and Impacts of Wilderness Fire - Karen Larsen, Conasauga Recreation Program Manager and Keven Vasalinda, Wilderness Ranger
2:00 PM Return to Dalton, GA
3:00 PM Return to Mountain Lodge, Flat Rock, NC