Fire in The Forest Festival in Furnace Town

Nassawango Iron Furnace at Furnace Town.

Snow Hill, Md. – A local historical site is hosting a festival to teach visitors about an unconventional way to preserve forests.

The Fire in the Forest Festival is this Saturday May 30th at Furnace Town Historic Site. The goal is to teach local residents about prescribed burning, a controlled use of fire that benefits the ecosystem. Furnace Town staff regularly employ prescribed burns in the area to support the animal and plant life.

“Lance Carroll, of the Maryland Forest Service will be attending the event as one of the presenters says controlled burns are completing first, by drawing a boundary in the ground and “then we burn the material that’s inside for different reasons. One would be habitat restoration, another could be fuel-load reduction, and that would lessen the intensity of a wildfire.”

Along with a demonstration of how burns take place, visitors can hear talks from land managers and ecologists. Event organizers understand that smoke from these burns have caused concern from the surrounding residents and they hope this event will educate and alleviate any fear.