Controlled burn set for west Hernando

WEEKI WACHEE — Residents near the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area should expect to see some smoke Wednesday.

The state Division of Forestry plans a prescribed burn on about 300 acres north of County Road 550 and west of the Heather community, spokesman Don Ruths said.

The forecast calls for easterly winds to push the smoke away from homes, and the burn will be postponed if weather conditions are not ideal, Ruths said.

The burn to reduce the dead brush that can fuel wildfires is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to target wildlands close to communities.

For more information, call Ruths at the Withlacoochee Forestry Center, (352) 754-6777, ext 119..