Fourth graders from Bob Jones Academy and Walhalla Elementary kicked off the first of four days of the Wood Magic Forest Fair at Piedmont Forestry Center in Tamassee today. Wood Magic is a day full of forestry-related educational experiences and demonstrations that combines hands-on activities with visually engaging presentations to teach children about the importance of forest lands to wildlife, the economy and our daily quality of life. Students visited different stations during the fair, including an introduction to Wood Magic, good fire/bad fire, gifts of the forest, equipment and tree cookies, sawmill, makin’ paper and a magic show.

Today we kick off National Fire Prevention Month with a simple reminder to THINK BEFORE YOU BURN to prevent wildfires! Hurricane Helene swept through South Carolina just over a year ago, leaving stands of downed trees and woody debris covering the landscape. These downed fuels increase the risk of wildfire by making ignition and spread more likely and also block access for firefighters, which slows response times. If you plan on conducting any kind of outdoor burning, please follow these reminders and exercise the utmost caution! 1. Don’t burn if you don’t absoutely have to. • Consider bagging your yard debris and taking it to a landfill. 2. Check the weather. • Wait until later to burn if it's windy outside, especially if relative humidity is low and/or it's been a while since good, soaking rain. 3. Notify the Forestry Commission before burning yard debris. It’s required by state law! • Use our online system or call your county's toll-free notification line, both available at scfc.gov/notify. 4. Take the proper precautions: • Limit the fire to woody, vegetative material like leaves, limbs and branches. • Clear a firebreak around the fire (at least as wide as the burn pile itself). • Have water and tools at hand to keep the fire under control. • Never leave the burn for any amount of time, and stay with the fire until it is completely out, preferably drowned out with water.