The Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests will begin slash pile burning in coming weeks/months, pending all required approvals. The opportunity to utilize prescribed fire is a result of current and forecasted snow conditions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service uses prescribed fire to reduce overgrown vegetation, helping protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.

Existing piles are typically a result of fuels reduction projects on the two National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming. Pile burning removes undesirable fuels for long-term public safety and for years has been an important part of the USDA Forest Service fire/fuels annual program of work. Piles may be burned near communities, travel routes, and popular recreation areas.

Forest users and the public may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. Smoke from all prescribed fires is closely monitored to ensure that conditions for smoke dispersal, developed in collaboration with the Colorado Air Pollution/Control Division and Wyoming Air Quality Division, are being met. For more information see: www.colorado.gov/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

Suitable weather and fuel moisture will determine the exact date of the burns. Operations will not commence unless conditions are favorable to implement safe and effective burns. Weather conditions will be evaluated in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Each prescribed burn planned by the Forests has gone through an environmental analysis and has a detailed burn plan developed in advance.

Broad public notification of site-specific burning will occur on the Forests’ X and Facebook accounts. On-the-ground signage is often placed on adjacent roads for public notification. Additional information may be found on our website.

Call or visit your local office for site-specific information.

• Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, Saratoga, Wyo., (307) 326-5258
• Douglas Ranger District, Douglas, Wyo., (307) 358-4690
• Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District, Steamboat Springs, Colo., (970) 870-2299
• Forest Supervisor’s Office & Laramie Ranger District, Laramie, Wyo., (307) 745-2300
• Parks Ranger District, Walden, Colo., (970) 723-2700
• Yampa Ranger District, Yampa, Colo., (970) 638-4516