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Reducing Wildfire Risk and Restoring Public Access in Storm-Damaged Areas
Blue Ridge Parkway » Reducing Wildfire Risk and Restoring Public Access in Storm-Damaged Areas
Last updated: July 14, 2026
On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene passed through western North Carolina with sustained winds of 80 miles per hour at Mt. Mitchell adjacent to the Parkway and record-breaking rainfall in the Parkway corridor of 14 to 30 inches. The Parkway sustained significant damage and, in some cases, complete devastation of the motor road, slopes, structures, vegetation, and developed areas.
There are areas within Parkway boundaries where significant dead and downed vegetation has accumulated into large, concentrated debris masses. These materials - commonly referred to as 'fuels' for the purposes of wildland fire management - have increased substantially compared to pre-hurricane levels. The dramatic increase in surface fuels, combined with ongoing severe drought conditions, has heightened the risk of damaging wildfires in some areas adjacent to communities and private homes, and exacerbated concerns over catastrophic wildfire impacts to natural and cultural resources. Concentrated blowdown creates conditions that can compromise the ability of firefighters to safely and effectively control fires in the area. Additionally, storm damage is so dense in some cases that it interferes with access to Parkway lands, trails, structures, and boundaries - compromising visitor use, operations, and resource management activities.
The National Park Service (NPS) will be implementing a hazardous fuel debris removal project in areas of significant blowdown that have also been identified through wildfire-risk modeling as presenting elevated wildfire risk. The project is intended to reduce wildfire hazards and address public safety concerns, while supporting the protection of natural and cultural resources. Wildfire-risk modeling and field verification of areas with extensive blowdown were conducted by Parkway leadership and Resource Management Divisions, with help from the US Wildland Fire Service Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone fire management staff, US Forest Service, NPS Washington Support Office, and consultants, in order to evaluate debris depositions that may pose a significant risk to life and property. Different treatment methods, including mechanical removal, hand crews, and aerial removal of debris were all considered.
The proposed action will reduce post-Helene dead and downed vegetation that has collected in a volume and location that:
- Presents an elevated risk of wildfire to communities, homes, and resources
- Creates a safety hazard for emergency responders, staff, visitors, or adjacent landowners, and/or compromises other management activities
Visitors and gateway community residents will continue to have full access to the Parkway and its destinations throughout this project. No full closures are expected; only brief, single-lane closures may occur as needed to support safe operations.
July 2026 Update:
The project area has been refined following further desktop analysis and field verification, which is a necessary step in confirming blowdown volumes, evaluating operational feasibility of different removal methods, and considering resource conditions at each of the proposed treatment locations. This evaluation has helped identify where different treatment methods are most appropriate.
As a result of project refinement, the NPS has determined that ground-based mechanical treatment may be appropriate on approximately 467 acres, where terrain and soil conditions allow heavy equipment to operate safely without causing unacceptable resource damage. Mechanical treatments may begin as early as September 2026. In steeper or more sensitive areas where heavy machinery should not operate, the NPS evaluated using helicopters working with hand crews to lift debris by air to existing roads or landings for processing and removal. The NPS determined that aerial treatment may be appropriate on approximately 428 acres, although these areas still require additional field verification. Aerial treatment may begin as early as November 2026, after site-specific assessments are complete and following a seasonal operating restriction. Future work to address remaining areas with elevated wildfire risk may include the use of hand crews with light-duty mechanical equipment; however, these areas require further evaluation before exact treatment methods and acreages can be finalized and will follow a separate timeline. Updated maps showing treatment types by area are available under 'Document List on the left.
The NPS will continue to monitor evolving wildfire risk and will notify the public of any project updates as additional information becomes available. Please note that all treatment units remain subject to further refinement based on ongoing evaluation of operational and resource considerations.
Ground-based mechanical and aerial fuel removal may occur at select sites that were identified by expert analysis as being at an elevated risk within the following corridors:
- Boone, 72 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 280 and 300
- Linville Falls, 77 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 310 and 319
- Little Switzerland, 110 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 324 and 341
- Asheville, 208 acres of mechanical and 428 acres of aerial treatments between milepost 374 and 396
Mechanical and aerial treatments will prioritize achieving meaningful fuel reductions while preserving the Parkways historic, natural, and visual character. Fuel reduction treatments will be followed by targeted native revegetation of storm-impacted landscapes and invasive plant control on NPS-managed lands. The NPS will conduct archeological surveys prior to ground-disturbing activities, except where debris density precludes access. In such cases, archeological surveys will occur following debris removal. Hazardous fuel removal, staging, and equipment operations will be designed to avoid or minimize visual intrusion on designated viewpoints, overlooks, trailheads, and mountaintop ridges.
In areas where mechanical treatment is appropriate, ground-disturbing activities resulting from heavy machinery use will be limited to those areas necessary to safely access, remove, and stage storm-felled and damaged trees. All temporary access routes, skid trails, and landings will be closed, stabilized, and re-graded following completion of mechanical treatment, using erosion-control measures as needed and site-reclamation methods typical of post-operation cleanup. Special attention will be given to avoid wetlands and to de-compact soils while restoring extant grades between the road shoulder and the tree line, to maintain the visual character of the Parkway design. Treatment areas will be revegetated as needed with native plants that align with the Parkways vegetation management practices. Soil erosion will be mitigated using best practices that align with NPS and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's (NC-DEQ) stormwater management programs. Revegetation-related activities will include plant materials salvage, seed collection, invasive plant management, nursery grow outs and installations, and maintenance of plantings. NPS will identify the best ways to support the recovery of plant communities and wildlife through natural processes and intervention as needed, so actions will be site-specific in approach.
Ground-based mechanical operations will be suspended from May 1 through August 15, and aerial operations will be suspended from April 1 through October 31 to minimize disturbance to species of concern during sensitive periods, such as nesting and breeding migratory birds and the pupping season for tree-dwelling bats.
The National Park Service continues to consult with Tribes, State Historic Preservation Officers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other State agencies and subject matter experts.
For questions about the project, including July 2026 updates to treatment areas, please contact BLRI_info@nps.gov.
On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene passed through western North Carolina with sustained winds of 80 miles per hour at Mt. Mitchell adjacent to the Parkway and record-breaking rainfall in the Parkway corridor of 14 to 30 inches. The Parkway sustained significant damage and, in some cases, complete devastation of the motor road, slopes, structures, vegetation, and developed areas.
There are areas within Parkway boundaries where significant dead and downed vegetation has accumulated into large, concentrated debris masses. These materials - commonly referred to as 'fuels' for the purposes of wildland fire management - have increased substantially compared to pre-hurricane levels. The dramatic increase in surface fuels, combined with ongoing severe drought conditions, has heightened the risk of damaging wildfires in some areas adjacent to communities and private homes, and exacerbated concerns over catastrophic wildfire impacts to natural and cultural resources. Concentrated blowdown creates conditions that can compromise the ability of firefighters to safely and effectively control fires in the area. Additionally, storm damage is so dense in some cases that it interferes with access to Parkway lands, trails, structures, and boundaries - compromising visitor use, operations, and resource management activities.
The National Park Service (NPS) will be implementing a hazardous fuel debris removal project in areas of significant blowdown that have also been identified through wildfire-risk modeling as presenting elevated wildfire risk. The project is intended to reduce wildfire hazards and address public safety concerns, while supporting the protection of natural and cultural resources. Wildfire-risk modeling and field verification of areas with extensive blowdown were conducted by Parkway leadership and Resource Management Divisions, with help from the US Wildland Fire Service Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone fire management staff, US Forest Service, NPS Washington Support Office, and consultants, in order to evaluate debris depositions that may pose a significant risk to life and property. Different treatment methods, including mechanical removal, hand crews, and aerial removal of debris were all considered.
The proposed action will reduce post-Helene dead and downed vegetation that has collected in a volume and location that:
- Presents an elevated risk of wildfire to communities, homes, and resources
- Creates a safety hazard for emergency responders, staff, visitors, or adjacent landowners, and/or compromises other management activities
Visitors and gateway community residents will continue to have full access to the Parkway and its destinations throughout this project. No full closures are expected; only brief, single-lane closures may occur as needed to support safe operations.
July 2026 Update:
The project area has been refined following further desktop analysis and field verification, which is a necessary step in confirming blowdown volumes, evaluating operational feasibility of different removal methods, and considering resource conditions at each of the proposed treatment locations. This evaluation has helped identify where different treatment methods are most appropriate.
As a result of project refinement, the NPS has determined that ground-based mechanical treatment may be appropriate on approximately 467 acres, where terrain and soil conditions allow heavy equipment to operate safely without causing unacceptable resource damage. Mechanical treatments may begin as early as September 2026. In steeper or more sensitive areas where heavy machinery should not operate, the NPS evaluated using helicopters working with hand crews to lift debris by air to existing roads or landings for processing and removal. The NPS determined that aerial treatment may be appropriate on approximately 428 acres, although these areas still require additional field verification. Aerial treatment may begin as early as November 2026, after site-specific assessments are complete and following a seasonal operating restriction. Future work to address remaining areas with elevated wildfire risk may include the use of hand crews with light-duty mechanical equipment; however, these areas require further evaluation before exact treatment methods and acreages can be finalized and will follow a separate timeline. Updated maps showing treatment types by area are available under 'Document List on the left.
The NPS will continue to monitor evolving wildfire risk and will notify the public of any project updates as additional information becomes available. Please note that all treatment units remain subject to further refinement based on ongoing evaluation of operational and resource considerations.
Ground-based mechanical and aerial fuel removal may occur at select sites that were identified by expert analysis as being at an elevated risk within the following corridors:
- Boone, 72 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 280 and 300
- Linville Falls, 77 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 310 and 319
- Little Switzerland, 110 acres of mechanical treatment between milepost 324 and 341
- Asheville, 208 acres of mechanical and 428 acres of aerial treatments between milepost 374 and 396
Mechanical and aerial treatments will prioritize achieving meaningful fuel reductions while preserving the Parkways historic, natural, and visual character. Fuel reduction treatments will be followed by targeted native revegetation of storm-impacted landscapes and invasive plant control on NPS-managed lands. The NPS will conduct archeological surveys prior to ground-disturbing activities, except where debris density precludes access. In such cases, archeological surveys will occur following debris removal. Hazardous fuel removal, staging, and equipment operations will be designed to avoid or minimize visual intrusion on designated viewpoints, overlooks, trailheads, and mountaintop ridges.
In areas where mechanical treatment is appropriate, ground-disturbing activities resulting from heavy machinery use will be limited to those areas necessary to safely access, remove, and stage storm-felled and damaged trees. All temporary access routes, skid trails, and landings will be closed, stabilized, and re-graded following completion of mechanical treatment, using erosion-control measures as needed and site-reclamation methods typical of post-operation cleanup. Special attention will be given to avoid wetlands and to de-compact soils while restoring extant grades between the road shoulder and the tree line, to maintain the visual character of the Parkway design. Treatment areas will be revegetated as needed with native plants that align with the Parkways vegetation management practices. Soil erosion will be mitigated using best practices that align with NPS and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's (NC-DEQ) stormwater management programs. Revegetation-related activities will include plant materials salvage, seed collection, invasive plant management, nursery grow outs and installations, and maintenance of plantings. NPS will identify the best ways to support the recovery of plant communities and wildlife through natural processes and intervention as needed, so actions will be site-specific in approach.
Ground-based mechanical operations will be suspended from May 1 through August 15, and aerial operations will be suspended from April 1 through October 31 to minimize disturbance to species of concern during sensitive periods, such as nesting and breeding migratory birds and the pupping season for tree-dwelling bats.
The National Park Service continues to consult with Tribes, State Historic Preservation Officers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other State agencies and subject matter experts.
For questions about the project, including July 2026 updates to treatment areas, please contact BLRI_info@nps.gov.