BLM Plans Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project at Summit Reservoir
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DOLORES, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Tres Rios Field Office plans to reducing hazardous fuels as part of the Summit Fuels Management Project as early as next week, or as conditions allow.
The Summit Fuels Management Project, located eight miles southeast of Dolores, Colorado, is designed to reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic fire, reduce wildfire risk to nearby communities, improve forage for big game, and help restore and maintain ecosystem health. Once completed, 137 acres of pinyon-juniper and mountain shrub will be treated through the mastication, or the mechanical reduction of vegetation into small chunks, to reduce risk of extreme fire behavior. Some thinning of ponderosa pine within the project area may occur later in the fall.
This project will take about two weeks to complete once the work is initiated, depending on weather conditions. The masticating machine will not be used during extremely wet conditions to minimize ground disturbance at the project site.
“This fuels reduction project will reduce wildfire risk on both public lands and adjoining private lands,” said Chris Barth, BLM Fire Mitigation Specialist. “The Montezuma County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (2011) recommended projects such as this as way to protect lives, property, and environmental values.”
Residents in Archuleta, La Plata, and Montezuma Counties can contact Firewise of Southwest Colorado (http://www.southwestcoloradofires.org/) for more information on how their communities can be prepared for wildfires. FireWise of Southwest Colorado provides education, planning and mitigation support to reduce the negative impacts of wildfires to communities in southwest Colorado.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.