The N.C. Forest Service will begin accepting orders Wednesday, July 1, for its annual tree seedling sale. With an average annual production of 10 million seedlings, and a reliable supply of more than 40 tree species, the NCFS Nursery Program produces enough native and genetically improved tree seedlings to plant roughly 18,700 acres of land.
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The Rose Bay Canal Fire burning in Hyde County is currently 618 acres in size and 24% contained. The increase in size is the result of successful strategic firing operations carried out by firefighters Tuesday, June 9. A strategic firing operation is a carefully planned tactic where firefighters intentionally and precisely burn vegetative fuels to eliminate what a wildfire can burn.
Increased cloud cover, light winds and good overnight recovery for relative humidity moderated fire behavior during today’s operational period.
The Rose Bay Canal Fire burning in Hyde County is currently 455 acres in size and 20% contained. The fire was first reported Tuesday, June 2, and firefighting crews quickly worked to establish containment lines around the fire’s perimeter. However, the presence of deep, organic pocosin soil combined with dry, receptive fuels poses a challenge for responding resources and containment efforts. Minimal spotting led to an increase in acres burned over the weekend, but engaged aerial and ground resources have been successful in catching the fire and limiting its spread.
The N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) is launching a new Disaster Mitigation Program (DMP) to help reduce heightened wildfire risk in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The DMP will provide wildfire risk reduction treatments at no cost to eligible private and public landowners in 39 federally declared disaster counties.
Designed to address hazardous fuel buildup, fallen timber and reduced access, the DMP aims to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfire impacts to homes, infrastructure and natural resources.
RALEIGH – Effective at 8 a.m. Friday, May 8, the N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning for Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes and Union counties.
The ban, which went into effect statewide March 28 due to hazardous forest fire conditions, was lifted for 81 other counties May 3.
The statewide burn ban remains in effect until further notice despite weekend rain in some areas. Persistent dry weather and increasing rainfall deficits from the last several months have left most of the state needing 10 inches of rain or more.
RALEIGH – The application period will open April 20 for landowners to apply for assistance for timber losses from Hurricane Helene as part of the $221 million USDA block grant the state received. It is the last of four categories of assistance that will be provided through this block grant program.
The Timber Loss Relief Program (TLRP) will be administered by the N.C. Forest Service and designed to partially compensate private landowners with at least 10 contiguous acres of moderate to catastrophic timber loss. The deadline for applying is June 12.
RALEIGH – Since the state-issued ban on open burning was enacted March 28, a total of 554 wildfires has burned more than 2,200 acres across the state. With little rainfall or improvement expected over the next 7-10 days, the statewide burn ban and enforcement action will continue until further notice.
On Friday, April 10, Lennon Colt Hinson, 42, of Evergreen, NC was arrested and charged with one felony count of larceny of timber (N.C.G.S. 14-135) and five misdemeanor counts of wood load tickets (N.C.G.S. 14-135.1) in Columbus County. N.C. Forest Service law enforcement officials, with assistance from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, arrested and charged Hinson, owner of Evergreen Logging, following an investigation into a timber theft complaint filed April 2, 2026, by a private landowner.
Hinson has additional larceny of timber charges pending in Robeson County.