Firefighters on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest are monitoring conditions to begin prescribed fire operations to improve forest health. The wildfires of 2020 are a somber reminder of the importance of proactive fuel management and forest restoration.
Appropriate conditions must be met before the ignition of prescribed burns can take place. Fire managers are carefully monitoring these conditions, including favorable weather forecasts (temperature, wind, precipitation), fuel moisture, smoke dispersal, and staffing. Weather is monitored throughout the burn and burning will be halted if conditions fall outside of the required conditions. In ideal conditions, as many as 500 acres could be burned in one day. Currently, snow will need to melt and fine fuels will need to dry some before burning could begin.
Residents and visitors in the area should expect to see smoke when operations are taking place.
More information about the Canyon Lakes Ranger District can be found at www.fs.usda.gov or by calling (970) 295-6700.