Prescribed fires scheduled for surrounding area

GRAND JUNCTION, CO—Interagency Bureau of Land Management–U.S. Forest Service crews from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit (UCR) plan to conduct prescribed burns within the next two weeks. Two areas are slated for burning: the Battlements Unit, 1,000 acres in size and located 10 miles northeast of Collbran on lands administered by the BLM and Grand Valley Ranger District-Grand Mesa Forest (GVRD-GMF), and the Dominguez Unit, which is 200 acres in size and located 30 miles south of Grand Junction on GVRD-GMF land.

The main objective of these prescribed fires is to reduce dense vegetation to lessen the chance for catastrophic wildfires. The burn will also improve wildlife habitat and increase forage for livestock. Fuels being treated in these areas are mountain shrub, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper.

Weather conditions will be closely monitored, and the burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for safe and effective fires. Each prescribed burn conducted by the UCR has a detailed fire plan developed in advance, along with appropriate smoke permits obtained from 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.

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