Rio Grande National Forest announces slash pile burning locations

THE Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) plans to burn numerous piles of woody debris in timber sale and thinning project areas on the Rio Grande National Forest, as conditions allow. This year’s burn areas include:

• Moon Pass timber sale piles – west of La Garita.
• North Carnero WUI piles – west of La Garita.
• Blue Park timber sale piles – northwest of South Fork.
• Poage Lake timber sale piles – south of South Fork.
• Cumbres Pass & LaManga Pass timber sale piles – southwest of Horca.

Slash pile burning will begin when there is sufficient snow cover to prevent them from spreading. Burning will continue on a day-to-day basis as long as conditions allow, or the projects have been completed. Slash pile areas and planned burn dates will be posted on the Rio Grande National Forest Facebook page as soon as optimal conditions are projected, which can often be on the same day the piles are ignited. Smoke from these pile burns may be visible for several days.

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

For more information on the slash pile burns, please contact Kent Smith, Forest Fuels Specialist, at 719-850-1064.