The plume of smoke rising north of U.S. Highway 160 near Bayfield this weekend is no cause for alarm, but rather the U.S. Forest Service taking advantage of a weather window for yet another prescribed burn.

Firefighters with the San Juan National Forest planned to complete ignitions Tuesday on the final 200 acres of what will ultimately be a 1,300-acre burn north of Bayfield.

The burn is reducing fuels in the Beaver Meadows and First Notch areas, located north of Beaver Meadows Road #135. San Juan National Forest spokeswoman Lorena Williams said about 70 firefighters burned 550 acres Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Smoke, which has been visible from Bayfield, Ignacio and Pagosa Springs, should dissipate by Wednesday.

The burn is part of a larger, multiyear project to reduce hazardous fuels in the Vallecito-Piedra area. The first prescribed burn occurred there in 2019, and agency fire officials expect to continue fuels reduction efforts through 2028.

Ultimately, prescribed burns will reach the Forest Lakes subdivision.

The prescribed burns reduce the risk of devastating wildfire, and in this case, also protect a vital power line owned by Tri-State Generation and Transmission which serves Archuleta County.

The firefighters executing the burn are using both hand and aerial ignition systems to clear out dense, overgrown scrub oak understory. Tuesday’s 200-acre burn takes place on higher-elevation ground, meaning crews must move more deliberately through the mixed conifer cover.

“When you're burning oak understory, your fire effects are pretty close to the ground,” Williams said. “But when you're burning in spruce and fir mix, those trees are more volatile and tend to torch, and so you're moving a little bit more deliberately through those units.”

Firefighters will continue to monitor the area for the next two weeks to ensure that any smoldering material remains contained.

Another burn in the district is scheduled for this fall.

rschafir@durangoherald.com