Friday 12/7/2018 Announcement from Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Contact: Reghan Cloudman, 970-295-6770
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Firefighters from the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest plan to take advantage of snow conditions this winter to burn slash piles created from multiple fuels reduction and hazardous tree removal projects. Burning could begin as early as December 13. Pile burning is an important step to complete fuels reduction efforts on the forest.
These piles are only ignited under certain conditions, including favorable smoke dispersal and adequate snow cover. The areas are monitored after burning is completed. When and where burning occurs depends on the conditions listed above. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations.
Over the last few years more than 25,000 slash piles have been burned on the district. Typically crews are allowed to burn as many as 250 to 1,000 smaller hand piles a day at each location if conditions are met, which includes a minimum of three inches of snow cover, and one to 40 larger machine piles could be burned a day with a minimum of six inches of snow cover.
Areas with hand piles ready for burning are:
Magic Sky (approximately 4 ½ miles southeast of Red Feather Lakes on south side of County Road 74E)
Red Feather 4 (Red Feather Lakes area northwest of Goodell Corner)
Glen Haven 1 (north of Glen Haven near North Fork Trailhead)
Thompson River 4 (approximately 6 miles east of Estes Park)
Elkhorn (southwest of Red Feather Lakes north of Bellaire Lake Campground)
Red Feather 3 (east of Red Feather Lakes northeast of Dowdy Lake Campground)
Areas with machine piles ready for burning is:
Stub Creek (near the Stub Creek Work Center near Glendevey)
Elkhorn Broadcast Prep (northwest of Rustic)
Swampou (in the Red Feather Lakes area south of Bald Mountain Trailhead)
Red Feather 4 (east and southeast of the Molly Lake Trailhead near Red Feather Lakes)
Elkhorn 1 (near the Bellaire Lake Campground)
If you would like to receive regular updates about burning in your area, please contact Reghan Cloudman at 970-295-6770 or rcloudman@fs.fed.us to get added to the district’s email contact list. Burning is also announced on our recorded information line at 970-498-1030 and information is posted online at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4648/. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.