The Bureau of Land Management's Tres Rios Field Office plans to begin burning slash piles from several hazardous fuels reduction projects as conditions allow. The project sites are all located on BLM-managed lands in Southwest Colorado. They are:
Animas City Mountain off County Road 204. 300 piles.
Summit Reservoir off Colorado Highway 184 between Dolores and Mancos. 200 piles.
Anasazi Heritage Center, two miles west of Dolores. 30 piles.
Dolores Rim seven miles east of Dove Creek. 300 piles.
Once started, each project should take no more than two days to complete. Fire crews will monitor burn piles after ignition to ensure public safety.
A detailed burn plan outlines the parameters for burning piles. "The burn plan contains specific criteria regarding weather conditions and air quality that must be met to help ensure control of the burn as well as to minimize the potential smoke impacts to local communities," said Brad Pietruszka, BLM fuels program manager.
The BLM has obtained smoke permits for these projects from the state. They identify atmospheric conditions under which the burns can be implemented. While smoke may be visible at times, most of the smoke will lift and dissipate during the warmest part of the day. Some smoke may linger over the area and in drainages as temperatures drop during the evening. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health.
For more information, visit https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.
"Pile burns are generally conducted during the winter and spring when there is sufficient snow on the ground to ensure conditions are safe to conduct the burn," said Chris Barth, BLM fire mitigation specialist.
