Park Ranger Nick Larson says most of the trails in his Grandfather District of the Pisgah National Forest have trees down.

"The Grandfather ranger district and the Appalachia ranger district are fully closed. There are several roads in the Pisgah that are also closed," he said.

Large trees are down, blocking many areas. Larson says that means more fuel on the ground and with the advent of fire season, there is now a risk for forest fires.

"Everybody remembers 2016 being our bellwether for intense fire season. Our long-term range is looking like a typical fire season," Larson said.

What is not typical about this year is the dangers left behind from the storm.

"If our firefighters are still working on access to people's homes, that's less resources available to go put our a forest fire. If our roads are still compromised to where we can't get into some of these areas, that makes it all the more difficult to ... respond," Larson said.

Some roads are still not accessible, which could make it impossible for them to get where they need to go. Officials say that although the burn ban has been lifted for brush, it is important to remember that no household items can be burned.

"It's by no means the same. There are a lot of chemicals used in wood preservation, whether that is rot reduction or whether that is finished wood. We don't want to burn those and release it into the environment," he said.

If you plan to burn brush, rangers have some rules they ask you to follow.

"We want to make sure folks are not leaving fires unattended," he said. "Make sure you have water. Do not leave embers unattended. Reach out to the local fire department to ask if there's a better way to do it."