The San Juan National Forest has an ambitious schedule for prescribed burns this fall, with over 27,600 acres of federally managed land slated for treatment across the Columbine, Pagosa and Dolores ranger districts.
For the most part, the burns are scheduled to take place in areas where the agency has previously pursued treatment, including Beaver Meadows, northeast of Bayfield, Boggy Draw, northeast of Dolores and Salter, east of Cahone.
The fires, which will be set and managed by forest service firefighters, replicate the frequent, low-intensity wildfires to which the ecosystem is adapted.
“It’s looking really promising for both us and Dolores and Pagosa (districts) to all get some burning done this fall,” Columbine District Assistant Fire Management Officer for fuels Noah Daniels said.
To gauge conditions, forest service staff collect potential fuel – pine needles, leaves, logs – and weighs them before and after baking them in an oven for 24 hours to document their water content. Despite a dry July, moisture levels for fuels are moderate, according to Daniels.
“There’s not really much moisture forecast, but we’re getting the longer nights and the higher relative humidity overnight, so that helps a lot with settling things down,” he said. “We have really good atmospheric conditions to move the smoke out, which is a big concern, especially for folks who live near these burns.”
In the past, burns have been significantly delayed by uncooperative weather. Of the 3,000 acres scheduled to burn in the Columbine Ranger District, Daniels said he expects at least 2,000 acres of the project to be completed.
The burns will not close any roads or trails, although Daniels urges the public to drive conservatively near burn areas.
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