Controlled burn set for Brown County State Park to aid oaks

NASHVILLE, Ind. (AP) - State wildlife officials are planning a controlled burn this week at Brown County State Park to help spur the growth of oak trees in the popular southern Indiana park.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources plans to set the fire between March 21-25 within the park's little-visited 10 O'clock Line Nature Preserve.

Neighbors and county dispatchers will be notified before the fire begins.

DNR official Darren Bridges says about 800 acres will be burned in the park, which spans nearly 16,000 acres of rugged hills, ridges and fog-shrouded ravines.

Bridges tells The Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/1UogTlJ ) the fire will open up the forest floor to spur the growth of oak trees. Without the burn, walnut trees and other tree species will take over the region that's long boasted oak and hickory trees.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com