There will be a controlled burn in the University of Maine forest in Old Town next week.
The university, along with the Maine Forest Service, will be conducting a controlled burn in a portion of the Dwight B. DeMeritt Forest off the dirt portion of College Avenue Extension, south of Gilman Falls, on Monday, according to Kyle Milan, Old Town’s fire chief.
That is weather permitting.
“Residents should not be alarmed if they see smoke or an increased fire department and forest ranger presence in the area,” Milan said in a statement.
Milan urged people to avoid that stretch of College Avenue Extension, near the northern parking lot.
The 2,000-acre forest was acquired by the university in 1939 by lease and then deed in 1955. It has more than 15 miles of trails open to walkers, joggers, runners, cyclists and horseback riders, and snowshoers and skiers in the winter.
