Shawnee NF

Shawnee National Forest fire crews will be conducting a prescribed burn for the remainder of the Bullwinkle unit today, April 7. The unit is approximately 200 acres, located in Hardin county on Bassett Rd, approximately 2 miles south of Karbers Ridge Rd.

Shawnee National Forest fire crews will be conducting a 330 acre prescribed burn for the Hootenanny unit located in SE Pope County on Jones Orchard Rd, April 6. For more information on prescribed burning, please visit fs.usda.gov/managing-land/….

Duck Bay Shelter is reservable for 2026 rec season after reconstruction by HistoriCorps, volunteers & @ShawneeNF. Work is part of a $4.1M rehab project funded by Legacy Restoration Fund, Great American Outdoors Act. Details: fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee/ne… Group camping: 618‑658‑0607

Shawnee National Forest fire crews are planning a 23 acre prescribed burn March 28 at the Tower Rock Campground. Weather conditions will be evaluated before the burn begins. For more information on prescribed burning, please visit fs.usda.gov/managing-land/…

Firefighters are actively responding to suppress a small wildfire in the Bald Knob Wilderness area. For public & firefighter safety, forest officials have temporarily closed Bald Knob Loop, Trails 201 and 201A. For more information visit: fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee/ne…

Shawnee National Forest fire crews will be conducting a prescribed burn of approximately 741 acres at the Dean East unit today, March 25. The unit is located in southeastern Pope Co., ENE of Brookport, off Route 1/Bay City Rd.

Fire crews are doing 2 prescribed burns March 23. One is approx. 1400 acres at the Dennison Hollow unit (not including Stoneface Unit), located in Saline Co., NE of Rudement. The 2nd unit is approx. 359 acres at the Pennant Bar S unit, off Hwy 146, approx. 10 miles E of Vienna.

Fire crews will be conducting 2 prescribed burn operations today, March 22. The first is approx. 1318 acres at the Sharp Rock RX unit, located located N of Kinkaid Lake and S of Ava, IL. The second unit is approx. 336 acres at the Joiner unit, located W of Herod and S of HWY 34.

Fire crews plan to conduct a 1,292‑acre prescribed burn at the Sharp Rock RX unit on Sunday, March 22. This includes the Johnson Creek Campground area and nearby trails. If weather conditions fall outside the burn plan, the operation may be canceled.

Fire crews plan to conduct an 869 acre prescribed burn today, March 20, at the Sulphur Springs unit off Sulphur Springs Rd near the Eddyville blacktop. Weather will be evaluated beforehand and the burn may be canceled if conditions change. Learn more: fs.usda.gov/managing-land/…

Safety heads up: Equipment is moving into the River Pigs timber sale area on Shawnee NF, located off Buttermilk Hill Rd in Jackson County. Watch for crews, logging traffic, and road work on FR 793. Details: fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee

Do your part to help prevent wildfires as record heat impacts much of the country this week. According to the @NWS, hundreds of daily temperature records may be set from the West Coast to the Plains. These conditions can accelerate fuels drying and snowpack melting, increasing wildfire risk in many areas. Take a few steps to help prevent wildfires and protect your community: - Check local fire restrictions - Avoid activities that could spark a fire on hot, dry, or windy days - Properly extinguish your campfires – drown, stir, and cold to the touch - Secure tow chains and keep your car tires fully inflated - If debris burning is permissible in your area, keep piles small and burn only under appropriate conditions Small actions can prevent devastating wildfires. Find more tips from @smokey_bear at: smokeybear.com Red Flag Warnings from the NWS can be found here: weather.gov/fire/ Photo by Paul Hensel

Fire crews will conduct 2 prescribed burn operations March 19. The 1st is approx. 89 acres of grass at Turpen East RX unit, 3 miles SW of Dixon Springs State Park. The 2nd unit is approx. 87 acres of Pine at Bullwinkle RX unit, 10 miles N of Elizabethtown off Bassett School Rd.

Forest Service Road No. 345, Snake Road, is temporarily closed now through May 15 to ensure safe crossing of snakes during their bi-annual migration. For more information about the snake migration and LaRue-Pine Hills Research National Area visit fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee/sa….

Fire crews will be conducting two RX burn operations March 18. One is approx 572 acres at Simpson Barrens unit located in Johnson County, just W of Trigg Tower. The 2nd is approx 96 acres at Flume Walker Timber sale unit (Unit 02 on the map), located in S Pope County.

The following @ShawneeNF campgrounds are now open: ⛺️ Redbud Campground at Bell Smith Springs ⛺️ Johnson Creek Campground ⛺️ Pine Ridge Campground at Pounds Hollow Campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information visit fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee/re…

Shawnee National Forest fire crews will be conducting a prescribed burn of approximately 563 acres at the state of Illinois East unit, located in Jackson County, today March 14. The unit is located just southwest of Ava.

@ShawneeNF fire crews will be conducting a prescribed burn of approx. 171 acres at West Tract Openland, located in Johnson County, today March 13. The unit is located just east of New Burnside. We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins.

Shawnee National Forest fire crews will be conducting a prescribed burn of approximately 5 acres at Dennison Hollow/Stoneface, located in Saline County, today March 10.

Fire crews will conduct a rx burn of approx 384 acres at Opossum Trot, located 4 miles NW of Tamms in Alexander County, today Feb 27. The intent of the burn is to reduce dense understory growth from shade‑tolerant/invasive plants, & allow more sunlight to reach the forest floor.