For Immediate Release: March 18, 2004.
Contact: Winslow Robertson 244-3112
 

Prescribed Fires Scheduled for Book Cliffs and Collbran Areas

Prescribed fires are scheduled for late March or early April, in the Garvey Canyon area of the Book Cliffs area about twenty miles north of Grand Junction, and in the Brush Creek area about six miles northeast of Collbran. Interagency BLM - Forest Service crews from the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit will conduct the burns and they will assure that the fires stay within identified boundaries. The Garvey Canyon burn will involve about 365 acres of Pinon/Juniper forest, and the Brush Creek burn will involve about 800 acres of Gambel oak. Both prescribed fires will be entirely on public land.

The main objective of the prescribed fires is to reduce dense vegetation so there will be less chance for catastrophic wildfires. The burns will also improve wildlife habitat and increase forage for livestock.

Weather conditions will be closely monitored and the burns will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for a safe and effective fire. Each prescribed fire has a detailed fire plan developed in advance, along with appropriate smoke permits from county and state agencies. Prescribed fires are one of many tools public land managers use to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires while improving wildlife habitat and overall land health.

-BLM-