FOLEY, Ala. — A 170-acre controlled burn at Graham Creek Nature Preserve had to be put off this week after forestry officials determined vegetation was too wet.

According to Foley Environmental Manager Leslie Lassitter, the Alabama Forestry Commission lit a test fire on Tuesday in a field of sagebrush within the 483-acre Preserve but abandoned the burn after a couple of hours.

“There is a lot of standing water,” Lassitter said on Thursday in referring to the attempted burn which has been planned for the Preserve land for two years.

The city bought the Preserve land five years ago and the Alabama Forestry Commission, Foley Fire Department and other firefighting agencies had planned on carrying out the burn on Tuesday morning.

“We need three days of good, dry weather,” Lassitter said before forestry officials try again to burn the 170 acres.

Prior to Tuesday’s effort to burn the 170 acres, Lassitter said AFC expected the burn to be slower than normal due to wet ground. On Tuesday, however, the agencies involved in the burn effort decided conditions were too wet to continue. Several people on four-wheelers tried to get the burn started but to no avail, Lassitter said.

Besides dry weather, Lassitter said low humidity and winds out of the north are other factors that have to be in place before another attempt is made to burn the park land.