By Chris Taylor
Dover, TN – The US Forest Service is expected to begin its largest-ever Land Between the Lakes sometime this week. In a recently released memo, Forest Service Area Director William Lisowsky says the project is designed to restore and maintain rare, native shortleaf pines. The fire will create soil disturbance and improve shade conditions for the shortleafs, which lose out to hardwoods and other non-native invasive plant species. The 3,300 acres burn area is the Devil's Backbone which lies west of The Trace and along Tennessee Highway 79 near Dover.