| Contacts: | David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 319-4130 |
Prescribed burn planned on BLM land in Eagle County
Fire officials with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management are planning a 580-acre prescribed fire this spring on Bureau of Land Management lands in Eagle County about 1.5 miles south of Burns, Colo.
The burn could take place as early as next week, depending on weather. The burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for a safe and effective fire.
The prescribed fire is planned to improve wildlife habitat and ecosystem health as well as decrease the amount of fuel that has built-up in the area. It is targeting oak brush and mountain shrubs.
Each prescribed burn conducted by Upper Colorado River has a detailed fire plan developed in advance along with appropriate smoke permits obtained from the State of Colorado.
This fire should improve wildlife habitat by stimulating new, more nutritious plant production in the burned area. Because the fire should leave a patchwork of burned and unburned areas, wildlife will have better areas to feed but also continue to have areas of unburned vegetation that will provide important hiding cover.
Since this area hasn’t burned in a number of years, a large amount of debris and other fuels for fires have built-up. This burn will decrease that fuel load, helping reduce the risk of a much larger, unwanted wildfire.
For more information about this prescribed fire, call Ody Anderson, 970 876-9030.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
220 E Market Meeker, CO 81641