What was the black, billowing smoke seen in Centre County? Not a wildfire
Black, billowing smoke visible from Shiloh Road and the Interstate 99 corridor Monday that caused concerned citizens to call emergency services was the result of a controlled burn by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
“We’re doing prescribed burns for wildlife habit management,” said John Wakefield, fire program manager for the Game Commission. “We’re trying to keep trees from invading our fields. We’re trying to maintain a diverse mix of grasses to benefit a whole host of wildlife species.”
Game Commission officers were out Saturday conducting controlled burns on State Gamelands 333 in Benner Township, he said. They continued early afternoon Monday, burning 70 acres before 3 p.m.
Teams continued burning late Monday afternoon, moving north toward Bellefonte.
By measuring wind direction, another Game Commission employee said, crews made sure smoke doesn’t billow onto I-99 and cause an obstacle for drivers.
The state Game Commission performs controlled burns under “very specific weather and ‘fuel’ (dried leaves, grass and brush) conditions ensuring burns are low to moderate intensity,” according to its website. They are usually repeated every 3 to 10 years, and prevent fuel from climbing to dangerous levels, therefore decreasing the risk of unplanned wildfires.
There are hundreds of acres of controlled burns planned this year for the Scotia Gamelands in Halfmoon Township and State Gamelands Nos. 33 and 60 in Rush Township, according to the Game Commission’s Controlled Burning Hunter Notification Map.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
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