Columbine Ranger District plans a prescribed burn this spring in the Beaver Meadows, First Notch areas of the San Juan National Forest.
Weather permitting, burning operations will begin in early April and could continue through early May. The Vallecito-Piedra Project may take several weeks to complete. Both ground and aerial ignition methods are planned, while following the weather and fuel parameters outlined in the prescribed fire plan. Only 1,051 acres are planned for spring prescribed fire. The remaining acres are planned for autumn.
Daytime smoke is expected to travel to the north/northeast and to be lofted high into the atmosphere. However, nighttime smoke will 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 after burning operations, lifting and clearing out by mid-day, and will be visible from Bayfield, Pagosa Springs and along the U.S. Highway 160 corridor between those two towns.
Prescribed fire smoke may affect health. For more information, visit www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.
Maps and additional information are available at www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288.
For more information, contact Noah Daniels at noah.daniels@usda.gov or 884-1430.
