Prescribed burns at Pace Bend Park this week

Two prescribed burns are planned at Pace Bend Park this week, one that will be about 100 acres and one that will be about 15 acres. Travis County Parks will conduct each burn on a different day between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., when there are “southerly winds which will carry smoke across the lake and towards the communities to the south,” according to a news release. The burns will take about four to six hours to complete. The planned burns do not require closure of the entire park. However, some parts will be closed along the west side of the park, “from Collier boat ramp to Thrasher Cove and Kate and Johnson’s Cove,” as well as “a portion of the park road.” Prescribed burns are used by park management to improve the health of the area ecosystem by getting rid of dead vegetation and invasive shrubs and species. They are conducted when burn bans for park users are in effect, and they actually reduce the risk of wildfires.