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Bureau of Land Management set to burn hundreds of slash piles in Southwest Colorado starting Nov. 30

Large slash piles similar to this one will be ignited this week in the Sauls Creek area, among other San Juan National Forest areas in the region. The piles were gathered this summer as part of wildfire-thinning efforts.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Tres Rios Field Office is set to begin burning slash piles as early as Monday, conditions permitting.

Four project sites located on BLM lands in Southwest Colorado will see burns. The federal agency intends to burn:

300 piles at Dolores Rim, seven miles east of Dove Creek.

300 piles at Animas City Mountain off County Road 204.

200 piles at Summit Reservoir off U.S. Highway 184 between Dolores and Mancos.

30 piles at the Anasazi Heritage Center, two miles west of Dolores.

“There might be temporary signs up depending on the site telling people there are prescribed burns, but none of them will impact travel or folks in any way,” BLM Fire Mitigation Specialist Chris Barth said.

Fire crews will monitor burns, which should be complete within two days, and a burn plan outlines project guidelines. Barth said the four projects are expected to be the only slash-pile burns of the season.

Winter and spring are prime seasons for burning when snow is on the ground to minimize the chance of accidental spread of fires.

jpace@durangoherald.com



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