Dec. 5, 2023-Fire crews treated piles from 441 acres of thinning today. They plan to return Wednesday morning for more ignitions.

Dec. 5, 2023-Fire crews are planning to potentially begin pile burning along Highway 76 and just south of Ojo Sarco, N.M. (map), as early as Thursday, Dec. 7. The piles were created from 137 acres of thinning.

The work is part of the Rio Trampas Project, which aims to restore forest health and resiliency next to communities while providing fuelwood and other wood product opportunities to residents. 

“After many discussions with the community, I’m looking forward to seeing these piles finally addressed,” said Camino Real District Ranger Michael Lujan. “We will approach this work with the upmost care and commitment towards safety.” 

Fire managers will continue to monitor forecasts and ground conditions before ignitions. If circumstances change, they will postpone for a later date. Once burned, crews will patrol and monitor the piles until they are called out. 

The ponderosa forests around the community are fire-dependent and must undergo fire disturbance on a regular basis to maintain resiliency. After prescribed fires are completed, if a future wildfire reaches the area, the fire behavior will likely be modified to a less intense, more manageable surface fire making it safer for firefighters to engage.

Tomorrow, Dec. 6, Grindstone District fire personnel are planning to burn approximately 40 acres of machine piles at Letts Lake Campground, pending favorable conditions. 

Burn units in the Westshore project remain in patrol status. No new ignitions are planned for the Upper Lake/Covelo District.

To date, Mendocino National Forest has completed nearly 1,000 acres of prescribed burning this fall season.

Dec. 5, 2023—Fire crews are currently pile burning within the unit. Smoke is visible from the area.

Black Bear Fire
Status Update – Monday, December 4, 2023

2008 acres | 90% containment | 36 personnel assigned

Firefighters made progress in containing the Black Bear Fire yesterday by reinforcing handline between Snowbird Creek and the ridgeline. The fire is currently burning on the Appalachian Ranger District in Pisgah National Forest in Haywood County. There are currently 36 firefighters responding.

The Black Bear Fire is estimated at 2008 acres and 90% containment. Crews today are focused on cold trailing firelines, working to extinguish any burning or smoldering materials near the fire's edge. Treating those hotspots reduces the threat of fire crossing containment lines.

While surrounding areas received rain, little precipitation fell across the fire area, with ridgetops being particularly dry. Wind speeds increasing during afternoon hours will likely increase dry conditions. Heavy fuels within the fire interior, such as downed trees, root systems and stumps, continue to hold heat and could spread fire if pushed by strong winds. A cold front arriving midweek may bring rain to the fire area.

Forest visitors, hikers on nearby sections of the Appalachian Trail, and anyone traveling through the I-40 corridor should proceed with caution. Smoke may drift throughout the area and may affect travel and nearby communities in North Carolina and Tennessee. The section of the Appalachian Trail between I-40 and Brown Gap Road remains closed. Brown Gap Road, NFSR#148A is also closed for public safety.

On December 4, 2023, Tres Rios Field Office BLM personnel and Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control firefighters out of Dolores, Colorado burned 200 piles over approximately 20 acres at the Dawson Research Units in Disappointment Valley. Pinyon-juniper woodland research is being conducted on the response to thinning by studying the growth rates, understory response and soil moisture. These piles were a small fraction of a much larger project which the BLM plans to complete in 2024. 

There will be some residual smoke in the coming week and personnel will periodically check the units to ensure public safety.

For more information on smoke, 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/ or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit

Dec. 4, 2023—Fire crews are planning to potentially begin pile burning southeast of Hopewell Lake as early as Tuesday, Dec. 5. Up to 550 acres may be treated on the Willow Pile Unit, where many piles were burned last winter. Smoke may be visible from the area.

Conditions look good for firefighters to continue prescribe pile burning in the Dawson Draw project area on Tres Rios Field Office BLM-managed lands located 15 miles northeast of Dove Creek, CO on December 4, 2023. If conditions allow firefighters plan to burn in Dawson Draw on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.

Slash piles are from previous treatments that were conducted to reduce hazardous fuels to protect wildland-urban interface communities by providing defensible space adjacent to private property and removing invasive species to restore forest health.

The project area has a detailed burn plan that outlines the parameters for prescribed burning and contains specific criteria regarding weather conditions and air quality that must be met to ensure control of the burn, as well as minimizing the potential smoke impact to local communities. 

The prescribed burn may take multiple days to complete once initiated and will be monitored after completion to ensure public safety. While smoke may be visible in the 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. 

For more information on smoke, 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/) or follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit).