FOLEY, Ala. — A prescribed burn at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve was finally conducted on March 5 after being delayed due to wet vegetation.

Officials with the Alabama Forestry Commission had planned to conduct the 170-acre burn on Feb. 23 but the burn was abandoned after a couple of hours when a test fire in a sagebrush field showed that conditions were too wet.

Foley Environmental Manager Leslie Lassitter said the March 5 burn went off as scheduled with AFC officials and several local fire departments on hand for the 10 a.m. burn. Foley Fire Department, along with Bon Secour and Oyster Bay fire departments, made up the 15 or so foresters and firefighters on hand for the burn.

According to Lassitter, Bon Secour and Oyster Bay fire departments were asked to participate since they had off-road vehicles that could be used.

“The burn had pretty much been completed by 1 p.m.,” Lassitter said this week. “I think everybody had pretty much left by 3 p.m.”

The burn activity occurred in what Lassitter described as “pockets” due to water that was standing in the section of the 483-acre park that was burned. The prescribed burn has been in the works for several years.

“Ecologically, I think a lot of people are excited about the types of plants that will come now that the burn is complete, and it will allow animals to forage,” Lassitter said.

She noted that one of the foresters said he saw a “pretty nice-sized deer amble off” while the burn was in process.