Colder weather and snow on the ground is allowing fire managers from Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests to start burning slash piles on national forest land in Gilpin and Boulder counties. The goal of burning slash piles is to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires and improve forest health. Burning slash piles left over after a wildfire mitigation project are considered prescribed burns because they are scheduled and occur when wind and weather conditions are favorable.

This year the US Forest Service has already conducted prescribed burns in Gilpin County on January 5. They burned slash piles at Highway 46 and 119 and east of South Beaver Creek Road and Lincoln Hills. Slash piles in the Lump Gulch area are scheduled to be burned starting January 8, weather permitting. As the winter progresses, slash piles from the Forsythe Fuel Reduction Project north of Rollinsville and south of Pinecliffe are also scheduled to be burned.

The ideal weather to burn slash piles involves cold temperatures, forecasts of snow, and winds coming from the right direction. A little wind is needed to disperse the smoke. Residents near prescribed burns are advised to stay inside or leave the area until the smoke has dissipated. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) maintains a webpage (cdphe.colorado.gov/wood-smoke-and-your-health) on wood smoke and health. The webpage also shows real-time maps of area conditions.

Prescribed burns always contain an element of risk. Always. The US Forest Service endeavors to reduce that risk with careful decisions and the presence of adequate resources on hand, but sometimes bad things happen with devastating consequences. The Hermit Peak wildfire in New Mexico was a prescribed burn in 2022 that got out of control and burned over 300,000 acres. A Forest Service inquiry into the fire made 19 recommendations to improve safety around prescribed burns which are in effect today.

Every precaution is taken to make a prescribed burn safe but there are no guarantees. During prescribed burn events, residents should keep their grab-n-go boxes on hand and be ready to evacuate if needed. It is recommended that residents also sign up for the Gilpin County Hyper-Reach program which will generate reverse 911 calls in an emergency. For more information on Gilpin County’s Hyper-Reach program to go https:// signup.hyper-reach.com/hyper_ reach/sign_ up_ page_ 2/?id=84582.

The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest website (fs.usda. gov/arp) maintains an email list for residents who want to get notices of prescribed burns. The link to sign up is at the bottom of the home page. Emails are sent a few days before a scheduled burn takes place. Every email contains a map of the status of prescribed burns and active wildfires (inciweb.nwcg. gov). The Forest Service sent email notifications regarding the recent Lump Gulch Fire, described in this edition of The Mountain-Ear. Facebook and Twitter/X accounts are also maintained by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest agency.

Burning slash piles is one way that the US Forest Service is engaging in proactive wildfire mitigation practices on public lands. The goal is to use the regenerative aspects of fire to create healthier forests and safer lands for residents and visitors.