Prescribed Burning Planned for Spring
Fire managers at Pagosa Ranger District are planning to conduct several prescribed burns on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Lands during the spring. The goals of this treatment are to reintroduce the role of fire to fire-dependent ecosystems, to reduce ground fuels, prune lower branches of trees, provide for nutrient cycling, encourage biological diversity, and promote browse for wildlife and livestock.
Locations identified for burning include:
· Bureau of Land Management lands
o Vigil and Abeyta Mesas, twenty-five miles south of Pagosa Springs.
· Forest Service lands
o Burns Canyon area, nine miles southwest of Pagosa Springs.
o 225 acres in the Lower Middle Mountain area about twelve miles west of Pagosa Springs.
o The headwaters of Devil Creek in the Turkey Springs area seven miles northwest of downtown of Pagosa Springs.
o Within the Piedra Area near the end of First Fork Road, on the west side of the Piedra River, between Sand Creek and First Fork.
Each burn has a plan that describes conditions which must be met before ignition and during burning, including temperatures; moisture level of the grasses, needles, and trees; wind speed; and smoke dispersal. Spring and fall are generally the best times of year to burn when temperatures are more moderate and the fuels have enough moisture to keep the fire at a low intensity.
The goals of this treatment are to reintroduce the role of fire to this fire-dependent ecosystem, to reduce ground fuels, prune lower branches of trees, provide for nutrient cycling, and encourage biological diversity.
With the exception of the burn within the Piedra Area, these prescribed burns will be ignited and monitored by firefighters on the ground.
The burn units in the Piedra Area are in a remote location on the north side of the Piedra River between the First Fork and Davis Creek. Located far from roads and on steep terrain, the units will be ignited by fire managers using plastic sphere devices (PSD) dropped from a helicopter. This method of ignition reduces exposure of firefighters to injuries that occur when working in steep slopes and remote areas and readily ignites fine fuels such as pine needles, leaf litter, and dead grasses. Under the conditions fire managers seek, the method provides a mosaic burn.
For public safety, the Piedra River Trail will be closed and the Piedra River will be closed to boating during the burning in the Piedra Area.
For additional information about the proposed burns or other fuels-reduction efforts, visit the local San Juan Public Lands office, Pagosa Ranger District, at 180 Pagosa Street, Pagosa Springs or call 264-2268.
© 2006 Copyright by Pagosa.com
