Firefighters to burn slash piles in Mesa County
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Smoke may be visible in Mesa County now through March when crews from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit burn slash piles generated from multiple Bureau of Land Management fuels reduction project.
More than 700 slash piles were generated last year from thinning mountain shrubs, tamarisk, pinion pine and juniper to reduce the risk of wildfire. The piles were allowed to dry and are now ready to burn. Firefighters will wait for favorable conditions to ignite the piles and expect to complete the burning in March.
“Prescribed burns rely on a set of prescribed conditions before we burn piles,” said Jeff Phillips, UCR fire management specialist. “We seek out times when conditions make for good smoke dispersion and allow for safe and effective burning.”
Firefighters plan to burn more than 200 piles south of Glade Park and 200 piles south of Gateway. The most visible burning will take place 14 miles south of Whitewater where crews will burn approximately 300 piles from the Gibbler Gulch project.
Anyone with health conditions that may be affected by short durations of smoke should contact Chad Sewell at (970) 876-9030. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, see https://www.colorado.gov/
The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire and Aviation Management Unit (UCR) includes Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service firefighting resources that cover 5.8 million acres along the Interstate 70, Colorado River and Roaring Fork River corridors from the Continental Divide to the Utah state line. The UCR includes the White River National Forest and the BLM’s Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction field offices. The UCR cooperates with other federal and state agencies, local communities, and fire departments on a wide range of activities including fuels treatments, fire prevention, and suppression.
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.