| Contacts: | Ody Anderson, Fuels Specialist, (970) 876-9030 |
Prescribed burn planned on BLM lands in Light Hill Area (09-01-10)
Federal fire officials are planning a 100-acre prescribed fire this fall on Bureau of Land Management lands in Pitkin County in the Light Hill area. This project is in cooperation with Colorado Division of Wildlife.
The burn could take place as early as Sept. 1 or as late as the beginning of November, depending on weather. The burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for a safe and effective fire.
The prescribed fire is planned as a part of multiple treatment types to reduce fuel build-up and improve wildlife habitat by setting back succession in the gamble oak and mountain shrubs communities. Since these areas haven’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. This fire should also 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.
A detailed prescribed burn plan has been developed in advance, and appropriate smoke permits have been obtained from the State of Colorado.
Smoke may be visible from El Jebel to Aspen and along Highway 82.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.
2300 River Frontage Road Silt, CO 81652