The U.S. Forest Service is continuing with prescribed burns of slash piles throughout the Peak to Peak region. Starting in mid-December, the Forest Service has conducted prescribed burns of slash piles when conditions were optimal in Gilpin County and western Boulder County concentrating on dry piles in the Forsythe, Lump Gulch, and Yankee Hill fuel reduction projects. Prescribed burn operations will continue throughout the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests into the spring.

Public Affairs Specialist Marya Washburn with Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland wrote that the Forest Service has conducted operations on 33 days since mid-December and had burned 7,945 Hand Piles and 200 Machine Piles in that time. The total acres claimed is 353.

In Gilpin and western Boulder Counties, the prescribed burns occurred in the three major fuel reduction projects in the area.

The Forsythe Fuel Reduction Project had burns in the following locations: Lazy Z, East Magnolia, Blue Dot, Wedgewood, Pinecliffe, Manchester, and Emory.

Prescribed burn operations were conducted in the Lump Gulch project at 35 Gilpin Road and 18 Restack.

The Yankee Hill prescribed burns were at Highway 46 Unit 25, Bald Mountain, and Pickle Gulch locations.

Washburn reported that the only significant problem that occurred during these prescribed burns were light winds on several of the burn days which delayed smoke dispersion. Residents are advised to stay indoors or leave the area if there are smoke problems during a nearby prescribed burn.

The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests district office has an opt-in notification list for prescribed burns and area closures. There is a link at the bottom of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests website (fs.usda.gov/arp) titled Join Our Email Lists. The notifications can be limited to general locations like north of I-70 to Highway 72 (Coal Creek Canyon).

The local fire districts and sheriff departments are coordinating with the Forest Service about these prescribed burn operations and will have updates on their respective websites and Facebook pages.

For the duration of these prescribed burn operations, which will continue into the spring, residents should be taking precautions as if it were a “red flag” day. Residents should have at hand an up-to-date “grab-n-go” box; they should have a plan for all family members to know where to meet in the event of an evacuation; and they certainly should be signed up for “reverse 911” notifications with their County emergency services program.