Here's Why You're Smelling Smoke In The Twin Cities Monday

MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL METRO, MN — Do you smell smoke? If it's not something burning on the stove, the smell Monday may be out of your control.

Several prescribed burns are beginning today, including:

• Coldwater Spring, Saint Paul
• Highway 371 near Fort Ripley
• Highway 23 between Rockville and Richmond
• I-94 near MnROAD in Albertville

For safety, the Minnehaha Bike Trail is closed between Fort Snelling State Park and 54th Street, as is the parking lot and the Coldwater Spring Access road. National Park officials ask that people not visit Coldwater Spring so authorized vehicles can get to and from the burn site.

Drivers of Interstate 94, Highway 371 and Highway 23 in may see smoke from roadside-prescribed fires, but traffic should not be affected and all roadways will remain open.

Monday's fires should suppress non-native species (which tend to be cool season plants) and invigorate Minnesota's native species. While the areas will look burnt, officials say they will change quickly into gorgeous landscapes later this spring.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch