BLM Tres Rios Field Office plans to prescribed burn at Dawson Project area. If conditions allow, they will burn three units for 980 acres of BLM land located 11.5 miles east of Egnar, Colorado on October 13 - 16. Prescribed burn will assist in reducing mechanical treated pinyon and juniper debris and increase grass and forb production for big game and grazing by reducing the oak and sagebrush.

 

Smoke might be visible on parts of Highway 141 and could settle in the Disappointment Valley overnight. While smoke may be visible in the burn area at times, most of the smoke will lift and dissipate during the warmest parts of the day. Expect visible smoke in the area for several days after each burn is completed as vegetation in the interior continues to smolder.

 

The BLM obtained smoke permits from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division, which identify atmospheric conditions under which the burns can be implemented. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

 

For information on prescribed burns, visit the Southwest District BLM Prescribed Fire InciWeb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7852/ and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.

Firefighters working on the Dry Mesa Prescribed Fire project yesterday approximately 18 miles southwest of Delta, CO in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, Uncompahgre Field Office were able to accomplish 20 acres. They had great burning conditions, but rain showers came in early, and ignitions were stopped due to poor burning conditions. Moisture during a burning operation can quickly change how the grasses, sagebrush, dead and down woody debris, pinyon, and juniper will burn or most likely not burn. The results are smoky conditions and will not meet project objectives.

For information on prescribed burns, visit the Southwest District BLM Prescribed Fire InciWeb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7852/ and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.

The Uncompahgre Field Office plans to burn 50 acres on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 in the Dry Mesa Project Area. Burn unit consists of sagebrush, dead and down woody debris, pinyon, and juniper. This burn area is approximately 18 miles southwest of Delta, CO in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.  

The burn is part of larger projects on the Southwest District to reduce hazardous fuels; protect wildland-urban interface communities; improve big game habitat, sage grouse habitat, and range conditions; and reintroduce fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem to restore healthy forests and species diversity. 

While no road closures are expected during the project, camping near the unit is discouraged due to increased traffic and likelihood of smoke in the area, particularly at night. The project area will be monitored once completed to ensure public safety. While smoke may be visible in the burn area at times, most of the smoke will lift and dissipate during the warmest parts of the day. Expect visible smoke in the area for several days after each burn is completed as vegetation in the interior continues to smolder.

The BLM obtained smoke permits from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division, which identify atmospheric conditions under which the burns can be implemented. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

For information on prescribed burns, visit the Southwest District BLM Prescribed Fire InciWeb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7852/ and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.

Yesterday, conditions allowed firefighters to burn 281 acres on the West Dolores Rim, Tres Rios Field Office BLM-administered lands located seven miles east of Dove Creek, CO. The prescribed burn is part of a larger project to reduce hazardous fuels and to improve wildlife habitat and range conditions. Firefighters will be monitoring burn area. Light smoke might be visible near this area.  

For information on prescribed burns, visit the Southwest District BLM Prescribed Fire InciWeb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7852/ and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.

Tres Rios Field Office plans to burn 884 acres on Monday, September 19, 2022 within the West Dolores Rim Project Area located about seven miles east of Dove Creek and locally referred to as the “East and North Pines.”

Visit Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.

The BLM obtained smoke permits from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division, which identify atmospheric conditions under which the burns can be implemented. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

   

 Animas City Mountain prescribed burn in Durango postponed for 2022

 

Dolores, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office will postpone the prescribed fire treatment on Animas City Mountain located within the Durango area until spring 2023. The area receiving recent moisture along with shorter days have contributed to undesirable burning conditions for the remainder of 2022.

 

“There are many factors that need to be met in the approved prescribed burn plan prior to the BLM considering prescribed burning, said BLM Colorado Fuels Lead Ian Barrett. “Our current weather and vegetation conditions likely will underachieve the project objectives and desired outcomes, therefore the BLM does not want to impact the community with unnecessary smoke. BLM Tres Rios Field Office will look for burn windows in the spring of 2023.”

 

The BLM is grateful for the support of Durango community and our local stakeholders as we work to complete this and other projects which will help improve ecosystem resiliency, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce the potential for catastrophic fire on BLM managed public lands.

 

Please visit the Animas City Mountain prescribed burn InciWeb page for additional information on this fuel’s treatment at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7688/, and for the most up-to-date information on wildland fire/prescribed burns in the Southwest District, you can follow our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit or Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire

 

-BLM-

 

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 11 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $111 billion in economic output across the country in fiscal year 2020—more than any other agency in the Department of the Interior. These activities supported more than 498,000 jobs.

 

News Release
BLM Colorado Tres Rios Field Office

Media Contacts:
Deana Harms (970) 240-5335
Shawn Reinhardt (970) 240-5339
October 04, 2022 

Prescribed burn on Animas City Mountain in Durango planned for October

Dolores, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office is planning to conduct a prescribed fire treatment on Animas City Mountain located within the Durango area this fall. The area has received moisture throughout late summer which will assist in providing the desirable conditions. Firefighters will be finalizing preparations and plans with intention to burn within the dates of October 11 to October 30, 2022, depending on weather conditions and firefighter availability.
 
The BLM expects the prescribed burn to occur and take place over two to three days and to burn up to 652 acres. The BLM intends to ignite the burn units using a combination of ground and aerial resources and will patrol the burn until extinguished. To ensure public and firefighter safety during project implementation, there will be a brief closure of Animas City Mountain, including City trailheads/access points because the BLM expects to use designated trails as containment lines.
 
“Prescribed fire is one of many tools firefighters use to remove dense vegetation that contributes to catastrophic wildfires,” said Supervisory Fuels Specialist James Savage. “We have conducted mechanical treatments and pile burning on Animas City Mountain from 2008-2012, and now the best tool for reducing fuels is prescribed fire. We are grateful for the support of the Durango community as we work with local stakeholders to complete this project which will help improve ecosystem resiliency, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce the potential for catastrophic fire on BLM managed public lands.” 

Prescribed fire mimics natural processes but under certain weather and vegetative conditions, improves forage for wildlife, increases plant diversity by creating breaks in the understory where grasses and flowers can thrive, and effectively reduces hazardous fuel while enhancing woodland health. 

The project is part of the BLM’s ongoing commitment to protect human health and safety while maintaining or enhancing forest and woodland health and functionality. To make this project a success, the BLM is in close coordination with the federal, county, and local government as well as non-governmental organizations, emergency managers, fire departments, public health officials, and state smoke regulators. 

More information on the Animas City Mountain prescribed fuels treatment is available online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7688/, and for the most up-to-date information on wildland fire/prescribed burns in the Southwest District, you can follow our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit or Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire

-BLM-
  

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 11 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $111 billion in economic output across the country in fiscal year 2020—more than any other agency in the Department of the Interior. These activities supported more than 498,000 jobs.

Find up-to-date burn area closure information: Know Before You Go

 

The Tiger Creek prescribed burn is anticipated to take 2-5 days to complete and primarily consists of grass and timber. The objective of the burn is to improve foraging habitat for big game, reduce long-term wildfire risk through reductions in existing fuel loading, to restore the ecological functions of a fire adapted ecosystem to the area, and to kill germinated invasive annual grasses. Hunters and forest visitors are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid the area during prescribed burning activities.

Additional information about this prescribed burn is available by visiting the Umatilla National Forest’s prescribed fire interactive map. This map displays burning activities and the interactive map allows the user to zoom in on certain areas and click on a burn unit for more information (such as acreage, status, etc). When burning operations begin the interactive map will be updated to display which burn units are actively burning.

Maps of the proposed prescribed burns are also located on InciWeb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5808/. 

 Fire management officials on the Heppner Ranger District are implementing a prescribed natural fuel burn today, which is one of two units planned this week. 

 

The Sunflower Bacon prescribed burn activities are anticipated to take 2-5 days per unit to complete and include 520 acres of grass, brush, and timber located approximately 20 miles south of Heppner and seven miles east of the Morrow County OHV park. The objective of the burns are to improve foraging habitat for big game, reduce long-term wildfire risk through reductions in existing fuel loading, and to restore the ecological functions of a fire adapted ecosystem to the area. 

 

Additional information about this prescribed burn is available by visiting the Umatilla National Forest’s prescribed fire interactive map. This map displays burning activities. The interactive map allows the user to zoom in on certain areas and click on a burn unit for more information (such as acreage, status, etc). When burning operations begin the interactive map will be updated to display which burn units are actively burning. 

 

Maps of the proposed prescribed burns are also located on InciWeb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5808/.