PRESCRIBED BURNING OPERATIONS CONTINUE TODAY IN NORTHERN HD MOUNTAINS
U.S. Forest Service fire crews plan to complete the Yellowjacket Prescribed Burn east of Bayfield today by aerially igniting 944 acres of National Forest lands in the Northern HD Mountains south of U.S. Highway 160. The total area will increase to 2,539 acres treated with prescribed fire in the area this week. The earlier planned First Notch Prescribed Burn north of the highway has been postponed due to incoming weather conditions. There is a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms today, accrording to the National Weather Service.
Daytime smoke from the Yellowjacket Prescribed Burn is again expected to drift north and east into the Upper Piedra drainage and southern Hinsdale County. Nighttime smoke is again projected to settle into the Beaver Creek and Sauls Creek drainages. Some haze is visible in Bayfield, and the scent of smoke is sometimes present.
"The Forest Service thanks area residents for their patience with the resulting smoke," the agency said in a statement.
Prescribed burning is designed to lower the risk of wildfire to public lands and adjacent communities and to improve wildlife habitat on public lands.
