Red Feather Prescribed Burn could resume later this week

Reghan Cloudman

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Canyon Lake Ranger District fire managers are monitoring conditions in the Roosevelt National Forest to return to operations on the Red Feather Prescribed Burn as soon as Friday. If conditions allow, burning could continue throughout the weekend.

Wildfires this summer are a serious reminder of how important proactive fuels management can be in our National Forests, particularly in the wildland-urban interface. This prescribed burn is located north of Red Feather Lakes, Colo., east of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision at 8,500 feet elevation.

A great deal of work has already taken place on this burn and provides a treated line or previously burned ground around much of the perimeter, leaving the interior portion left to burn. In 2017, 1,513 acres of the total 4,348-acre project was successfully burned. This March, firefighters targeted south-facing slopes and accomplished approximately 1,600 more acres. Approximately 1,000 acres remain of this fuels reduction effort.

Appropriate conditions must be met before burning can take place. Fire managers are carefully monitoring these conditions, including a favorable weather forecast (temperature, wind, precipitation, etc.), fuel moisture, smoke dispersal and necessary staffing.

Weather is monitored throughout the burn and burning will be halted if conditions fall outside of the required conditions. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations. In ideal conditions, as many as 500 acres could be burned in one day.

To check the latest updates on when burning could occur, check our recorded incident information line at 970-498-1030 or follow us on Twitter @usfsclrd. To get added to the email notification list, send an email to [email protected]. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.