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Home / Guides / How to read a record / Gatlinburg 2016 changed the question

Gatlinburg 2016 changed the question

Last verified 2026-08-26.

This page is Tennessee law.

The slope already had the caption. UT Extension SP685 (David Mercker, Carol Reese, Wayne K. Clatterbuck; 2006): the first 5 feet adjacent to a house should not contain any flammable material. Rhododendron, laurel, holly, juniper, and hemlock should not be planted near structures. NPS Chimney Tops 2 (reported 23 November 2016): on 28 November, drought and winds 40–50 mph, gusts to 87 mph, carried embers far ahead of the main fire. About 11,000 acres in the park and about 6,000 acres in Sevier County outside it. Kalmia latifolia currently computes as avoid and includes TN. Rhododendron maximum currently computes as conflict and includes TN.

You are on a cabin edge putting mountain laurel back because it is native and the 2016 fire “changed everything.” SP685 printed the near-structure rule ten years earlier. The 2016 event is wind and embers into town, not a new species table.

This is not a Tennessee doorway. Live Gatlinburg Firewise HTML returned almost no body this session and is not quoted.

Why it matters

Pennsylvania’s state-flower page is DCNR’s bloom tour versus 0–5. New Jersey’s Pine Barrens is CMP 30/75/100. AG-874 Table 5 is North Carolina’s high natives. This page is UT’s 2006 caption plus NPS’s 2016 ember day.

Zone 0 is still not a planting list. SP685’s first five feet already say no plants.

This site’s Tennessee plant evidence combines 570 USDA occurrence records with 78 exact SP685 source owners. The state surface keeps occurrence separate from local fire evidence and preserves SP685’s Virginia carrier lineage.

How it works

What NPS opened (Chimney Tops 2):

Reported 5:30 p.m., 23 November 2016, Chimney Tops, steep cliffs, hard access.
27 November: humidity dropped; inversion lifted; three helicopters.
28 November: exceptional drought; winds 40–50 mph, gusts 87 mph; helicopters grounded; new starts from embers; downed powerlines in Gatlinburg.
Human-caused. Two juveniles arrested for aggravated arson.
Park: about 11,000 acres, about 2 percent of the park. Sevier County outside the park: about 6,000 acres. Mosaic of burned and unburned.
Park buildings, including historic buildings, not significantly damaged. That sentence is inside the park.
Fire ecology named on the page: Pinus pungens (table mountain pine) needs fire to open serotinous cones. North-facing coves are not the same as the dry heath.

What SP685 actually says (opened 2006 PDF):

About 2,000 wildfires a year in Tennessee (2006 sentence).
First 5 feet: no grass, plants, shrubs, trees, leaves, mulch, bark, or firewood. Sidewalks, stone, gravel.
Stair-steps: 5–15 feet low-stature; 15–30 feet high moisture, low sap or resin, not continuous; 30 feet and beyond pine and fir not recommended; oaks, poplar, maple recommended.
Photo caption: evergreen rhododendron, laurel, holly, juniper, hemlock should not be planted near structures.
Firewood 30 feet. Grass not over 8 inches.
References Virginia 430-300. This site treats SP685 as a carrier, not a second lineage. The Steward rule.

This directory:

Kalmia latifolia avoid, consensus, TN.
Rhododendron maximum conflict, TN. Long 2006 ranked it low at NIST; B921 and Virginia Firescapes H. Do not flatten it into laurel.
Ilex opaca avoid, TN.
Juniperus virginiana avoid, TN.
Pinus pungens avoid, limited-evidence, TN. NPS named it as a fire-adapted park tree, not a 5-foot planting.
Quercus alba on-list, TN. That is the 30-foot deciduous sentence, not Zone 0.

See how to read a plant page.

The paths

Claim	Opened source	What it is not
2016 changed the plant list	NPS is an ember-and-wind day	A new UT table
No laurel near structures	SP685 2006 caption	A 2016 discovery
First 5 feet empty	SP685	Permission to plant Kalmia at 6 feet because it is native
11,000 park / 6,000 Sevier	NPS	Park-structure survival as cabin survival
570 Tennessee records	USDA distribution	An SP685 palette
SP685 + Virginia 430-300	Cited reprint	Two votes

What people mix up

Native-to-the-Smokies with on-list at the foundation.
Pennsylvania’s state flower with this 2006 caption.
Rhododendron maximum (conflict) with Kalmia latifolia (avoid).
NPS park-building survival with Sevier County cabins.
Table mountain pine’s serotinous cones with a Firewise foundation tree.
Counting SP685 beside Virginia Firescapes. The Steward rule.
Live Gatlinburg Firewise HTML (almost no body this session) as quoted.

How to check

Open NPS Chimney Tops 2. Read 87 mph. Read 11,000 and 6,000. Read park structures.
Open SP685. Read 5 feet. Read the rhododendron/laurel caption. Read pine and fir at 30 feet.
Open Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron maximum. Read verdictRaw.
Open Tennessee plant evidence. Distribution is not a recommendation.
Do not plant in Zone 0.

Limits

This page quotes opened NPS HTML and the opened 2006 SP685 PDF (UTIA host and the tn.gov wildland-fire archive copy of the same file). Live Gatlinburg Firewise HTML returned almost no body this session and is not quoted. NPS does not print a Sevier County structure-loss or fatality total on the opened page; those numbers are not invented here. 570 and 78 are counts of stored rows as of this writing. SP685 is not counted as independent of Virginia 430-300. Zone 0 is not a planting list.

Where this differs

Research and context (1)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Chimney Tops 2 (November 2016). The Chimney Tops 2 Fire was reported at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, 2016, near Chimney Tops in steep terrain with vertical cliffs and narrow rocky ridges. On Monday, November 28, exceptional drought conditions and extreme winds caused the wildfire to grow rapidly. Winds increased to a sustained 40–50 mph in the evening with gusts up to 87 mph, causing numerous new wildfire starts from embers carried far in front of the main fire, as well as downed powerlines within the Gatlinburg community. Approximately 11,000 acres burned within the park (about 2.1 percent of park land). Approximately 6,000 acres outside the park within Sevier County burned as well. Park structures, including historic buildings, were not significantly damaged. The fire was determined to be human-caused. Two juveniles were arrested for aggravated arson. Table mountain pine trees need fire to open their serotinous cones and drop seeds.

As of 2026-08-25 · Chimney Tops 2 Fire — National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

University of Tennessee Extension SP685 (2006)

Each year Tennessee experiences approximately 2,000 wild (forest) fires. For best defense, the first 5 feet adjacent to a house should not contain any flammable material. This includes grass/plants/shrubs/trees, as well as decaying material such as leaves, mulch, bark and even firewood. Ideally the non-flammable barrier zone should be sidewalks, stepping stones, stone walls, and/or rock or gravel. Stair-steps: 5–15 feet low-stature landscaping; 15–30 feet high-moisture, low sap or resin, not continuous; 30 feet and beyond, pine and fir are not recommended because of the high flammability of needles and bark; deciduous oaks, poplar, maple are recommended. Plants that retain their leaves all year such as rhododendron, laurel, holly, juniper and hemlock generally have highly flammable leaves and should not be planted near structures. Firewood at least 30 feet from the house. Grasses not more than 8 inches. SP685 cites Virginia Firewise Landscaping Task Force 1998, Pub. No. 430-300.

As of 2026-08-25 · Landscaping Guidelines to Protect Your Home from Wildfire (SP685) — University of Tennessee Extension

Questions

Did Gatlinburg 2016 invent the mountain-laurel problem?

No. University of Tennessee Extension SP685 (David Mercker, Carol Reese, Wayne K. Clatterbuck; CreationDate 24 October 2006) already printed: plants that retain their leaves all year such as rhododendron, laurel, holly, juniper, and hemlock generally have highly flammable leaves and should not be planted near structures. The first 5 feet adjacent to a house should not contain any flammable material, including plants, leaves, mulch, bark, and firewood. NPS Chimney Tops 2 (reported 23 November 2016) is the ember-and-wind event into Sevier County, not a new plant table.

What did Chimney Tops 2 actually burn?

NPS: reported 5:30 p.m. 23 November 2016 near Chimney Tops in steep terrain. On 28 November exceptional drought and extreme winds (sustained 40–50 mph, gusts up to 87 mph) caused rapid growth; embers started new fires far in front of the main fire, and powerlines went down in Gatlinburg. About 11,000 acres in the park (about 2 percent of the park) and about 6,000 acres outside the park in Sevier County. Park structures, including historic buildings, were not significantly damaged. Human-caused; two juveniles arrested for aggravated arson. Chimney Tops 1 (13–16 November, 1/4 acre) is a different fire.

Is SP685 a second Tennessee vote beside Virginia Firescapes?

No. SP685’s plant tables copy Virginia Firescapes 430-300 (cited in SP685’s references). This site stores it as a carrier. 78 plant records currently cite ut-sp685. Do not count SP685 and 430-300 as two lineages. See the Steward rule.

Is this a Tennessee doorway page?

No. The object is a 2006 UT photo caption versus a 2016 NPS ember event, plus Kalmia latifolia as avoid with TN. Place claims sit on whereThisDiffers. The Tennessee plant surface keeps 570 USDA occurrence records distinct from the 78 exact SP685 source owners.

Sources

Chimney Tops 2 Fire — National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened HTML. Reported 23 November 2016 5:30 p.m. 28 November drought plus 40–50 mph winds, gusts 87 mph; embers far ahead; ~11,000 acres in the park, ~6,000 acres Sevier County outside. Park structures undamaged. Table mountain pine serotiny named in fire-ecology FAQ. Live Gatlinburg Firewise HTML returned almost no body this session.
Landscaping Guidelines to Protect Your Home from Wildfire (SP685) — University of Tennessee Extension (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened PDF (same file also hosted as tn.gov tnwildlandfire archive UT Extension FW Plants.pdf). Authors Mercker, Reese, Clatterbuck. ~2,000 wildfires/year. First 5 feet no flammable material. Stair-steps 5–15 / 15–30 / 30+. Pine and fir not recommended at 30+. Photo caption: rhododendron, laurel, holly, juniper, hemlock should not be planted near structures. References Virginia 430-300. Carrier, not a second vote.