Trail closings continue on the Back 40 in March and April as the Fire Department prepares to perform controlled burns on several trail segments.
The section of Taylor Homestead east of Bethnal Road, until it intersects with SBAT, is currently closed, as is Flo Ride from York Drive to Castleford Drive.
The section of the main Back 40 loop from the Buckingham trailhead to the Lake Ann dam will also be closed during the burn that is intended on it, as will the Lookout trail and the Brittany Dam trail.
Cassi Lapp, communications manager for the city, said that fires cannot be scheduled for a specific day, because the process requires weather conditions that can't be counted on.
"We're at the mercy of the weather," she said.
The city, she said, will be putting up caution tape and signs to ensure it is very clear that trails are closed.
Anyone out on the trails, she said, needs to pay attention to signage and notifications. Announcements, she said, will also be sent out via the official Back 40 Trails Facebook page.
Fire Chief Steve Sims said the department will be burning on city rights of way and Property Owners Association common property. The most prominent fire, he said, will be near the bluff bridge along the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and Trafalgar Road.
The fires, he said, could start as soon as this week -- if weather permits.
This will help clear brush around the trail and the bridge, he said. In other areas, he said, a lot of the focus is on taking care of vegetation where the trail could become overgrown. Moreover, he said, the fires will help beautify the trails.
"Instead of a lot of the weeds and stuff that's there now," he said, "it'll grow nice, green grass."
General News on 03/08/2017