As the City of Thomasville moves forward with Phase II renovations at Paradise Park, a group of diverse partners led by Tall Timbers, a nationally recognized leader in wildlife and conservation, will reintroduce a carefully managed and modest prescribed burn to support the park’s long-term health. The prescribed burn is scheduled for Friday, November 21 if weather conditions remain favorable.
According to John McGuire, Director of Private Lands Fire Initiative for Tall Timbers, reintroducing prescribed burns to the park is a necessary step in restoring the ancient longleaf pine forest. “Prescribed burns clear out the buildup of dry plants, protect native plants, and keep forests healthy,” said McGuire. “The burns will also provide a long-term benefit to the over 30,000 native plants that are scheduled to be planted as part of Phase II of the park renovations.”
McGuire says that when the prescribed burn takes place, residents in the Paradise Park vicinity can expect to see and possibly smell very modest smoke. “The controlled burn is executed in a safe and carefully coordinated plan of action,” said McGuire. “Staff from Thomasville Fire Rescue will also be on site during the controlled burn, which will only be executed if weather conditions are appropriate.”
As part of the Phase II renovations, the City of Thomasville is working closely with Tall Timbers for the six-acre longleaf pine and wiregrass restoration. “The $3 million Conserve Georgia Grant from the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program (GOSP) for Phase II renovations at Paradise Park will create environmental education opportunities based on advice from groups such as Tall Timbers, the Jones Center at Ichauway, and others,” said Mike Owens, Director of Parks & Recreation.
The Phase II project supports a long-term vision to create a living laboratory that promotes community education and raises awareness of the ecological significance of the Red Hills and longleaf pine ecosystem. “We’re excited about the implementation of this initial stage of Phase II renovations which would not be possible without the collaboration and expertise of the partners that are coming together to provide our community with what will eventually be a tremendous ecological treasure,” noted Owens.
Smoke impacts during Friday’s prescribed burn are anticipated to be minimal and confined to a period of under two hours.
For more information about prescribed burning, visit www.whyprescribedfire.org. For more information about current park renovation projects or the City of Thomasville’s Parks Master Plan, please visit thomasville.org/parks-master-plan or contact Public Information Manager Ricky Zambrano at 229-227-7041.