Smoke Visible Today Due to Slash Pile Burns Southwest of Montrose

Information provided by Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forests Public Affairs Officer.

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests will burn approximately 500 “slash piles” at the Raspberry Radio Repeater site today, located approximately 20 miles southwest of Montrose on the Uncompahgre Plateau. The piles are the result of chainsaw thinning that was performed at the site to help protect numerous radio antennas and other structures from potential fire damage, should wildland fire occur in the area.

Specifically, a burn plan has been prepared and approved and specifies staffing, weather and other conditions that are required to light the piles. The plan also calls for conditions that are wet enough to prevent fire from creeping along the ground and/or when snow is present. Likewise, smoke dispersal conditions of “Fair” or better are required in order to minimize visual impacts in the area. Forest fire management officials have determined that sufficient conditions exist on the site to be within prescribed parameters today.

Updates may be posted on their website www.fs.usda.gov/gmug or their Twitter account at www.Twitter.com/GMUG_NG or @GMUG_NG.  

Nick Mountain/Bald Mountain Prescribed Burn

News release from Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management

Fire officials with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit (UCR) plan to conduct prescribed burning in the Nick Mountain/Bald Mountain area beginning Wednesday, May 21. Approximately 986 acres consisting of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service managed lands are planned to be burned. Fire officials anticipate that burning activities will include establishing an enhanced fireline around the area by “burning out” vegetation immediately adjacent to the constructed fireline. Continuing on Thursday, May 22, fire officials anticipate aerial ignition using a helicopter to burn the remainder of the unit(s).

The Nick Mountain prescribed burn unit is located approximately 4 to 5 miles southeast of Molina, Colorado. Plans call for burning in mixed mountain shrub ecological communities to promote wildlife habitat. Five UCR engines and approximately 30 firefighters will be on the burn to manage activities and ensure that the burn is accomplished safely and with the prescribed burn plan parameters.

A detailed burn plan outlines the parameters for the prescribed burn and contains specific criteria regarding weather conditions, staffing and air quality that must be met to help ensure control of the burn as well as to minimize the potential smoke impacts to local communities. A Smoke Permit has been obtained from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division for the burn and identifies conditions for implementation. Smoke may be visible in the Plateau Valley area for a few days during and after the burn as vegetation continues to smolder. Fire crews will continue to monitor the area following completion of the burn to ensure public safety.

Previous notice of this planned burn can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/nwfyngk.

For additional information visit http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/dispatch_centers/r2gjc/ or follow the agency on Twitter at @UCRFireCenter.








Contacts: Lee Ann Loupe, Fire Information Officer, 970.874.6717; cell: 970.596.0246

MEDIA Information line: 970.244.3104

Battlements Prescribed Fire Scheduled for Wildfire Habitat Improvement and Hazard Fueld Reduction

Pending favorable weather conditions, Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire and Fuels Management crews and partners will conduct a prescribed burn this spring on the north aspect of Battlement Mesa, roughly seven miles from Parachute, on National Forest System lands near Garfield County Road 306. The prescribed burn is expected to occur around the end of April or early May.

Up to 2000 acres of Gambel oak and mixed mountain shrub vegetation will be ignited to benefit wildlife habitat. “Prescribed fire is effective for stimulating sprouting of Gambel oak and other shrubs, which improves browse for big game and other native wildlife. There is also a need to open up some areas within bighorn sheep range to improve foraging habitat and site distances”, said Natasha Goedert, Forest Service District Wildlife Biologist.

The intent of the project is to promote nutrient recycling of fire-adapted vegetation communities, to provide an improved food source for wildlife, and to create habitat conditions that will encourage wintering deer and elk to stay on public lands longer by improving the big game winter range. A secondary benefit of the project will be reduction of fuel loads in the mountain shrub vegetation across the project area.

“This project is part of a large-scale effort being conducted over a 5 to 10-year period in partnership between the Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Forest Foundation and other partners to improve habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and other native wildlife across approximately 115,000 acres on the White River National Forest.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has pledged financial support to assist the cost of federal fire crews and Grand Valley and Plateau Valley Fire Protection Districts plans to participate with the prescribed burn.

Information regarding this project and the objectives of the work is available at the Forest Service office at 0094 County Road 244, Rifle, CO., or by calling Kim Potter, 970-625-2371.

Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge to burn wetlands for wildlife habitat management.

Refuge staff plan to take advantage of the spring weather to burn the wetland in Spitzie Bottom. The objectives of these burns are to reduce excessive fuel loads and to improve the wildlife habitat conditions in those areas. The burn at Spitzie Bottom is being done to reduce the amount of area that cattails and bulrush cover the wetlands and for waterfowl habitat improvement. Smoke from the burns may be visible from Colorado Highway 318 and Moffat County Road 10 and 10N from now until late May on the days of the burns and a few days after the burn.

Weather conditions will be closely monitored, and the burn will only be initiated if conditions are favorable for firefighters to contain the burn within the project boundary. Each prescribed burn conducted by the Browns Park NWR has a detailed fire plan developed in advance, along with appropriate smoke permits obtained from the State of Colorado. Prescribed fires are one of many tools public land managers use to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires while improving wildlife habitat and overall forest and range health. For more information contact Stephen Barclay, Refuge Manager, at 970-365-3613 extension 102.

Read the official news release from the United States of Department of Interior.  This information has also been added to our current wildfire map.

BLM Planning Prescribed Fire West of Maybell

The Little Snake Field Office is planning a 30 acre prescribed fire 15 miles west of Maybell along the Little Snake River on Bureau of Land Management and Colorado State Land Board managed lands. Burning is anticipated to take place Thursday, April 24 if weather and ground conditions remain favorable. Smoke may be visible for a few hours from Highway 318.

The objective of the Oxbow prescribed fire is to improve waterfowl habitat by burning cattails, rushes and riparian grasses. This follows the herbicide application conducted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2013.

Weather and fuel moisture conditions will be closely monitored. Each prescribed burn has a detailed fire plan developed in advance with pre-determined parameters along with appropriate smoke permits. The burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for safe and effective fires. For more information please contact the Little Snake Field Office at 970-826-5000.

_____________________________________________________________

Prescribed fire information has been added to the Colorado Current Fire map on the COEmergency.com website.

PAGOSA RANGER DISTRICT PLANS PRESCRIBED BURNING

The Pagosa Ranger District plans to conduct spring prescribed burning operations in the Turkey Springs area of the San Juan National Forest, beginning as soon as the week of April 14th and continuing sporadically through April and May, weather and conditions permitting. The specific areas include:

• The Brockover Prescribed Burn is planned for approximately 200 acres of National Forest lands eight miles northwest of Pagosa Springs between Forest Road 626 and 629D.
• The Devil Creek 2 Prescribed Burn is planned for approximately 200 acres seven miles north of Pagosa Springs near Forest Road 630.

Specific timing of each burn will depend on safe and favorable weather conditions to maximize fire effects and aid in smoke dispersal. No more than 200 acres will be burned per day to limit resulting smoke; however, smoke may settle into nearby low-lying areas during the night and morning hours following burning. All units consist of ponderosa pine and Gambel oak.

For more information, contact the Pagosa District Office at 970-264-2268.