Firefighters planning to burn slash piles above Eby Creek
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SILT, Colo. – Smoke may be visible from Eagle, Gypsum and the I-70 corridor over the next several weeks as crews from Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management begin burning slash piles generated from a Bureau of Land Management fuels reduction project.
Firefighters are planning to burn 400 slash piles across 18 acres above Eby Creek in Eagle County. Crews generated the slash piles from a pinyon-juniper thinning project in 2014 and 2015 designed to reduce fuels for wildfires. The piles were allowed to dry and are now ready to burn.
“We look for days when conditions are good for safe, effective burning and dispersing smoke away from area communities,” said Chad Sewell, acting fuels specialist for the Bureau of Land Management Colorado River Valley Field Office.
The work is part of the larger Eagle Valley Hazardous Fuels Treatment Project, which is using a variety of techniques to reduce the risk of larger wildfires by reducing the amount of vegetation available to burn. The work also improves forest health and wildlife habitat.
Anyone with health conditions that may be affected by short durations of smoke should contact Chad Sewell at (970) 876-9030. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.