Grand Canyon National Park fire managers anticipate initiating prescribed pile burning this week as weather and fuel moisture conditions allow. As part of the South Rim Piles Project, they will burn 3,500 piles of woody debris east and west of South Entrance Road and south of Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) East. These 5'x5'x5' piles are comprised of slash left after mechanical thinning or cutting of trees within the 150 acre project area, and are being burned as part of a key objective of the project, which is to reduce the fuel load.

Smoke from the South Rim Piles Project will be most visible during ignition operations and will likely gradually diminish after ignitions are completed. Smoke impacts to Highway 64 should be minimal, but drivers are advised to move along the highway slowly with their lights on, avoid stopping in areas where fire personnel are working, and follow directions of signs and personnel. There are no road closures anticipated at this time.

Smoke will also be visible from various locations on the North and South rims, including Grand Canyon Village. Fire managers are working with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality-Smoke Management Division to reduce and mitigate potential smoke impacts.

Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property. Fire managers carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions that are favorable to firefighter and visitor safety and achieving the desired objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing accumulations of hazard fuels, maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem, and protection of sensitive natural and cultural resources.

Information about the South Rim Piles Project can be found on Twitter @GrandCanyonNPS, on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov, or by calling 928-638-7819 for recorded fire information. Visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/firemanagement.htm for additional information about wildland fire at Grand Canyon National Park.

DOLORES, Colo., April 21, 2022—The San Juan National Forest’s Dolores Ranger District is planning to conduct several prescribed burns potentially starting in late April. Burning operations will take place over multiple days when weather and fuel conditions are favorable and may continue throughout the summer and fall based on conditions. Both hand and aerial ignition methods may be utilized, following the weather, fuel, smoke and safety parameters stated in the prescribed fire plan. Burning operations will be conducted by qualified U.S. Forest Service personnel assisted by fire resources from cooperating agencies. 

Project areas identified for burn implementation are: ·         Boggy Draw: 1,554 acres located 3 to 10 miles northeast of Dolores, along the Dolores-Norwood Road (FSR 526) near Little Bean Canyon and Boggy Draw Road (FSR 527). ·         Haycamp Mesa: 3,025 acres located 10 miles east of Dolores, along the Haycamp Mesa Road, Forest Service Road (FSR) 556 & 557.    Reintroduction of prescribed fire is necessary to improve and restore vegetative conditions. This effort will reduce hazardous ground fuels, lessen the risk of unplanned large-scale wildfire, help restore ponderosa pine ecosystems and improve wildlife habitat. Prescribed fire also reduces the ladder fuels that can carry fire into the canopy, killing mature trees.   During burning operations, smoke may be visible around the communities of Mancos, Dolores, Dove Creek, Cortez, and HWY 491 between Dove Creek and Pleasant View. Smoke may settle into low lying valleys and the Dolores River Canyon overnight. Smoke monitoring will be conducted, and ignitions will be scheduled to minimize smoke impacts to surrounding communities.   Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. More information can be found online: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health   Maps of the prescribed burn units and additional San Juan National Forest prescribed fire program news can be found on InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288/. For more information, please contact Fire Management Officer Patrick Seekins, by email at patrick.seekins@usda.gov or by phone at (970) 882-6836.     For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).  

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The San Juan National Forest is planning on conducting the following prescribed burns in Spring 2022, as conditions allow: 

Columbine Ranger District (maps below):
 

VP1A NW (1318 acres) 

VP1B (672 acres)

VP1C (295 acres) 

VP2D (181 acres) 

  

Dolores Ranger District (map below):
The most likely order of prescribed burns is as follows, depending on weather conditions:

1st Boggy Draw: 4331 total acres 

-Units 17: 346 acres, 18: 335 acres, 20: 454 acres 

2nd Haycamp Mesa: 4586 total acres 

-Unit 9: 703 acres 

3rd Boggy Draw 

-Unit 32 340 acres , Unit 45: 1200 acres. 

4th Haycamp Mesa

-Unit 6 2322 acres, Unit 5 1561 acres 

5th Salter: 3013 total acres 

- Units 43: 241 acres, 44: 399 acres, 31: 467 acres, 32: 340 acres, 39: 299 acres, 41: 550 acres, 47: 717 acres. 

Total acre potential for Dolores Ranger District: 11,930 

 

Pagosa Springs Ranger District (map below):
 
The District will burn 1,042 acres in Brockover-Devil Creek burn plan, as conditions allow. Units 5, 8 and B will be include in 2022.
 

This Thursday, Jan 20, 2020, the Dolores Ranger District Fire and Fuels staff plan to burn slash piles near Joe Moore Reservoir. The project is situated in Montezuma County, in the Millwood/Chicken Creek area of the district, north of Mancos off FSR 559. We plan to burn 300 piles, weather and conditions permitting.

Smoke will be visible from Highway 184 and Highway 160, but should stay away from populated areas. Signs will be posted to notify the public of prescribed burning activity near the treatment area.  Ignitions of the piles will not start before 9am and continue past 3pm on Thursday, January 20th. There is no need to contact dispatch about smoke seen from this prescribed burn.

 Durango, Colo., October 6, 2021— The San Juan National Forest plans to burn slash piles this fall and winter generated from forest thinning and timber sales. Forest thinning projects improve forest health and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of wildfire near private residences and other infrastructure. Thinning slash is piled and burned to remove the debris that would fuel wildfire. 

Pile burning will begin as early as this month when there is sufficient snow or rain present to prevent fire spread and will continue as long as conditions allow, possibly through April. Firefighters will ignite and monitor pile burning activities. These activities should not affect public access or use of the forest.   The Columbine Ranger District plans to burn slash piles in areas east of Bayfield in Arborgas Flats near Beaver Creek and in Saul’s Creek near Forest Service Road 608. Smoke may be visible from Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, and the U.S. Route 160 corridor.   The Pagosa Ranger District plans to burn slash piles near the following locations northwest of Pagosa Springs: Newt Jack Road (Forest Service Road 923), Four Mile Road (Forest Service Road 645 and 645.K), Buckles Lake Road (Forest Service Road 663), Plumtaw Road (Forest Service Road 634), and Black Mountain Road (Forest Service Road 661). Smoke may be visible from Pagosa Springs and U.S. Route 160.
 
The Dolores Ranger District plans to burn slash piles in areas north of Mancos, east and northeast of Dolores, and east of Dove Creek. Slash piles will be burned in the Chicken Creek area near Forest Service Roads 385 and 559 near the Joe Moore Reservoir; in the Haycamp Mesa area near Forest Service Roads 556 and 492, south of Beef Pasture Reservoir; in the Burnt Ridge area near Forest Service Road 566, north of Jackson Gulch Reservoir; in the Stoner Mesa area near Forest Service Road 686, southeast of the Willow Divide trailhead; and in the Lake Canyon area near Forest Service Roads 506 and 216 near Cow Canyon.  Smoke may be visible from State Highway 184, State Highway 145, Montezuma County Road 38, and U.S. Route 491.   Burning will only occur when all conditions of the state-issued smoke permit are met. Learn how smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns and pile burns may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

Durango, Colo., October 6, 2021— The San Juan National Forest plans to burn slash piles this fall and winter generated from forest thinning and timber sales. Forest thinning projects improve forest health and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of wildfire near private residences and other infrastructure. Thinning slash is piled and burned to remove the debris that would fuel wildfire. 

Pile burning will begin as early as this month when there is sufficient snow or rain present to prevent fire spread and will continue as long as conditions allow, possibly through April. Firefighters will ignite and monitor pile burning activities. These activities should not affect public access or use of the forest.   The Columbine Ranger District plans to burn slash piles in areas east of Bayfield in Arborgas Flats near Beaver Creek and in Saul’s Creek near Forest Service Road 608. Smoke may be visible from Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, and the U.S. Route 160 corridor.   The Pagosa Ranger District plans to burn slash piles near the following locations northwest of Pagosa Springs: Newt Jack Road (Forest Service Road 923), Four Mile Road (Forest Service Road 645 and 645.K), Buckles Lake Road (Forest Service Road 663), Plumtaw Road (Forest Service Road 634), and Black Mountain Road (Forest Service Road 661). Smoke may be visible from Pagosa Springs and U.S. Route 160.

The Dolores Ranger District plans to burn slash piles in areas north of Mancos, east and northeast of Dolores, and east of Dove Creek. Slash piles will be burned in the Chicken Creek area near Forest Service Roads 385 and 559 near the Joe Moore Reservoir; in the Haycamp Mesa area near Forest Service Roads 556 and 492, south of Beef Pasture Reservoir; in the Burnt Ridge area near Forest Service Road 566, north of Jackson Gulch Reservoir; in the Stoner Mesa area near Forest Service Road 686, southeast of the Willow Divide trailhead; and in the Lake Canyon area near Forest Service Roads 506 and 216 near Cow Canyon.  Smoke may be visible from State Highway 184, State Highway 145, Montezuma County Road 38, and U.S. Route 491.   Burning will only occur when all conditions of the state-issued smoke permit are met. Learn how smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns and pile burns may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

  

Pagosa Springs, Colo., September 30, 2021– The Pagosa Ranger District is planning to burn approximately 400 acres this autumn in the East Monument Road (Forest Service Road 630) area of the San Juan National Forest to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve forest health. The planned burn area is located approximately seven miles northwest of Pagosa Springs. Operations may begin as soon as October 4, depending on weather and fuels conditions.

Ignitions will take place over one to two days. Burning operations will be conducted by district personnel and other fire resources from the Forest Service and partner agencies. This burn unit is part of the larger Brockover-Devil Creek prescribed burn project aimed at reducing hazardous ground fuels, reducing the risk of unplanned catastrophic wildfire impacting adjacent communities, restoring ponderosa pine ecosystems and improving wildlife habitat.

Daytime smoke is expected to travel to the northeast. Nighttime smoke is expected to travel down canyon into the Devil Creek drainage.  Smoke will be heavier in the mornings following burning operations, lifting and clearing out by mid-day. Smoke will be visible from Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County Road 600, and the U.S. Highway 160 corridor. Learn how smoke from prescribed fire may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

The forests in southwest Colorado are part of a fire adapted ecosystem, which historically experienced frequent, low intensity fires on a large scale. Prescribed fire replicates that fire regime under controlled conditions. Prescribed fires will only be ignited when all weather, fuels and smoke requirements are met. Current information will be posted on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288/ and Forest social media (Twitter and Facebook) on the day prescribed fire ignitions are planned to take place.

For more information, please contact the Pagosa Ranger District at (970) 264-2268. All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media.

Dolores, Colo., September 24, 2021– The Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest is planning to conduct several prescribed burns this fall,  starting as soon as late September through October. Burning operations will take place over multiple days when weather and fuel conditions are favorable. Prescribed burn areas planned for this fall:·       Boggy Draw: 4,331 total acres of all planned units located 3 to 15 miles northeast of Dolores, adjacent to Forest Service Roads 526 (Dolores/Norwood RD), 527, 532, and 249 within the Boggy Draw area. ·       Haycamp Mesa: 4,586 total planned acres located 10 miles east of Dolores, adjacent to Forest Service Roads 556 and 557.  ·       Salter: 3,013 total planned acres located 7 to 15 miles east of Cahone, adjacent to Forest Service Roads 521, 514, and 510 west of Salter Y and Dry Canyon.Burning operations will be conducted by qualified Forest Service personnel, assisted by other fire resources from cooperating agencies using both ground and aerial ignition. Safety of firefighters and the public are the most important factors considered when planning a prescribed burn. During burning operations, smoke will likely be visible from surrounding communities including: Mancos, Dolores, Dove Creek, Cortez, State Highway 145, State Highway 184, U.S. Route 160, and U.S. Route 491 between Dove Creek and Pleasant View. Nighttime smoke may settle into low lying valleys and the Dolores River Canyon. Fire managers will monitor smoke  and ignitions will be scheduled to minimize smoke impacts to communities. Learn how smoke from prescribed fire may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  By reducing vegetation and hazardous ground fuels, these prescribed burn projects will reduce the risk of unplanned large-scale wildfire, help restore ponderosa pine ecosystems, and improve wildlife habitat.  The forests in southwest Colorado are part of a fire adapted ecosystem, which historically experienced frequent, low intensity fires on a large scale. Prescribed fire replicates that fire regime under controlled conditions. Prescribed burning operations will begin only when weather, fuels and smoke parameters are met. For additional information, please contact Dan Kaufenberg, Assistant Fire Management Officer (Fuels), Dolores Ranger District (970) 882-6844.  Maps of the prescribed burn units can be found on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288/All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

The Columbine Ranger District is planning to burn approximately 3,400 acres this autumn in the Beaver Meadows and First Notch areas of the San Juan National Forest to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve forest health. The planned burn area is located approximately 14 miles east of Bayfield. Operations may begin as soon as Sept. 30, depending on weather conditions and availability of fire personnel and other resources.

Bayfield, Colo., September 23, 2021—The Columbine Ranger District is planning to burn approximately 3,400 acres this autumn in the Beaver Meadows and First Notch areas of the San Juan National Forest to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve forest health. The planned burn area is located approximately 14 miles east of Bayfield. Operations may begin as soon as Sept. 30, depending on weather conditions and availability of fire personnel and other resources.

Ignitions will take place over several consecutive days and operations may take several weeks to complete. Burning operations will be conducted by district personnel and other fire resources from the Forest Service and partner agencies using both ground and aerial ignition. This burn unit is part of the larger Vallecito-Piedra prescribed burn project aimed at reducing hazardous ground fuels, reducing the risk of unplanned catastrophic wildfire, restoring ponderosa pine ecosystems and improving wildlife habitat. More information on the San Juan NF prescribed fire program can be found on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288/

Daytime smoke is expected to travel to the north/northeast and to be lofted high into the sky. Nighttime smoke is expected to travel downslope into the Beaver Creek drainage, the Piedra River, and south to the Pine River just north of Ignacio.  Smoke will be heavier in the mornings following burning operations, lifting and clearing out by mid-day. Smoke will be visible from Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, and the U.S. Highway 160 corridor between those two towns. Learn how smoke from prescribed fire may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

The forests in southwest Colorado are part of a fire adapted ecosystem, which historically experienced frequent, low intensity fires on a large scale. Prescribed fire replicates that fire regime under controlled conditions. Prescribed fires will only be ignited when all weather, fuels and smoke requirements are met.

For more information, please contact the Columbine Ranger District at (970) 884-2512.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).