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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Federal fire officials from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit are now planning multiple springtime prescribed burns in Mesa, Garfield and Eagle Counties.

Prescribed burns reduce fuel loads that have accumulated in areas vulnerable to wildfire.  Fire is a natural process; reintroduction of fire to the ecosystems is beneficial to these areas and the wildlife that live there. 

Several burns are planned to reduce natural fuels and improve wildlife habitat:

• For the third consecutive year federal firefighters plan a prescribed burn in the Palisade Watershed on the slopes of the Grand Mesa.  The objective is to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire. The prescribed fire is planned six miles east of Palisade on the Town of Palisade managed land.  This cooperative project between the BLM and the Town of Palisade will include approximately 180 acres. 
• The Hay Canyon prescribed fire will include approximately 1250 acres of oak brush and mountain shrub on BLM public lands located approximately 25 miles north of Fruita in Garfield County.  A grant from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is supporting this project.
• The Nick/Bald Mountain prescribed burn will target 200 acres and cleanup on this ongoing multi-year project south of Molina.  The goal is to enhance habitat for Mule Deer and elk along with reducing natural fuels located in the area.
• The Parker Basin prescribed fire is planned for, 46 acres of BLM and private land south of Molina.  
• The Sheep Gulch prescribed fire will target 150 acres north of Gypson
• The Roaring Fork 1476 acre prescribed fire is designed to meet wildlife objectives and reduce hazardous fuels on 563 acres of BLM and 913 acres U.S. Forest Service managed lands east of El Jebel.  

Fire managers have developed a detailed prescribed fire plan and obtained smoke permits from the State of Colorado for each of the planned burns. Residents may observe smoke during these burns. 

“We will only ignite these prescribed fires if conditions are ideal for a safe, effective burn, as well as for good smoke dispersal away from area communities,” said Lathan Johnson, fuels specialist with the Upper Colorado River Fire Unit.  According to Johnson, weather, moisture and fuel conditions play a critical role in their decision to proceed or cancel a burn.  Human safety is the number one concern with any prescribed burn. 

The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit is composed of the BLM Silt and Grand Junction Field Offices; White River National Forest; and the Colorado National Monument. It encompasses millions of acres oriented along the Interstate 70 corridor from the Continental Divide to the Utah state line.

For more information, contact Lathan Johnson, (970) 244-3120.