Prescribed burn underway in Jackson County | Environment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are burning 84 acres in Jackson County at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane and National Wildlife Refuge Wednesday. This burn is essential to refuge management. It helps restore native wet pine savannah, preserves crane habitat and will help decrease the impact of an actual wildfire, according to Refuge manager Danny Moss.

"Especially if a wildfire came through here. That fire is just going to lie down. If it's going through an area that's already been burned because there's not going to be a fuel source like grasses, down trees and standing vegetations," Moss explained.

The prescribed burn started at 10 a.m. at one mile west of Gautier-Vancleave Road just south of I-10. It’s expected to be a short duration fire.

"We've got good winds it shouldn’t take long," Moss said.

Moss said a highly trained team of 12 fire experts will manage the fire and maintain fire breaks around the refuge. They'll be located throughout the burn site.

If you’re in and around the areas of Gautier, Ocean Springs, west Pascagoula and West Moss Point you may see smoke. Smoke may also be seen in Vancleave.

Drivers headed eastbound on I-10, west of exit 61 in Jackson County will most likely see smoke adjacent to I-10 and south of I-10.

"Right now the weather conditions are ideal for a prescribed burn," Moss added. "The wind is favorable. It's out of the north. The relative humidity is good and the transport winds and mixing heights are very favorable and a number of other check list of things are working well."