Canyon Lakes Ranger District plans fall and winter pile burnings around Red Feather Lakes, Estes Park

The Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland plans to take advantage of changing weather conditions late fall and winter to burn slash piles left from multiple fuels reductions and hazardous tree removal projects.

These piles are only ignited under certain conditions, including weather, fuel moisture, smoke dispersal and staffing. The areas are monitored after burning is completed. Firefighters will spend the upcoming months burning piles in a number of locations. When and where burning occurs depends on the conditions listed above. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations.

There are over 41,000 combined hand and machine piles across the district. Crews may burn as many as 250 to 1,000 smaller hand piles a day at each location if conditions are met, which includes a minimum of three inches of snow cover. Some areas of the district also have larger machine piles. Typically, one to 40 of these could be burned at each location a day with a minimum of six inches of snow cover.

Areas on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District with hand piles ready for burning are:

· Pingree Hill (near Rustic)
· Red Feather 1 (near the Manhattan and Red Feather Lakes roads)
· Red Feather 2 (northwest of Red Feather Lakes)
· Deadman Road (northwest of Red Feather Lakes)
· Thompson River (west of Pinewood Reservoir and 3 miles southeast of Estes Park)
· Estes Valley (along State Highway 36, between Pinewood Springs and Estes Park)

Areas with machine piles ready for burning are:

· Pratt Creek (adjacent to Diamond Springs Subdivision)
· Bellaire Campground (southwest of Red Feather Lakes)
· Red Feather 1 (near the Manhattan and Red Feather Lakes roads)
· Seven Mile (4 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes)
· Crystal Lakes (west of Crystal Lakes Subdivision)
· McGrevey (adjacent to Aspen Springs Subdivision)
· Red Feather 2 (northwest of Red Feather Lakes, Lost Lake area)
· West Beaver (west end of Forest Service Road 169)
· Trout Creek (north and south of Pearl Beaver Road (FSR 315))
· Estes Valley (south of Estes Park, along Johnny Park Road)

Those piles in the Estes Valley and Big Thompson area may or may not be burned due to access challenges due to the flooding that occurred this year.

If you would like to receive regular updates about burning in your area, please contact Reghan Cloudman at 970-295-6770 or rcloudman@fs.fed.us to get added to the district’s email contact list.