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Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pile Burning

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Unit Information

2150 Centre Avenue Building E 
Fort Collins, 
80526 
2150 Centre Avenue Building E 
Fort Collins, 
80526 

Incident Contacts

Fire Information
Email: ARPFireInfo@usda.gov
Phone: 970-295-6600

Highlighted Activity

 The following project areas may have visible smoke and monitoring will continue until the piles are called out. Larimer County:Cedar Park 1 Map Cedar Park 2 Map Glen Haven 2 & 3 Map  Thompson River 5 Map Magic Sky 4 Map Red Feather 5 Map Elkhorn 2019 MapMagic Feather Piles 
Publication Type: Announcement -

Pile Burning for 2023-2024:

Sign up to receive a weekly email newsletter about pile burning projects in your area (select Forest Health and Fire for your zone).  Have questions? See our Pile Burning FAQ or email ARPFireInfo@usda.gov.

Regular burning activity notifications will be posted on this Inciweb page under "Announcements." 

What is pile burning?

Pile burning is a type of prescribed fire that helps remove woody debris from the forests, reducing the potential of more impactful, unplanned fire activity at other times of the year. Pile burning helps eliminate branches, limbs, twigs and small logs that can't easily be removed through other means due to topography, access or cost feasibility. Pile burning typically follows forest thinning projects in overgrown forests. If heavy machinery was used to conduct the thinning, the piles may be much larger than if thinning and piling was completed by hand using chainsaws. 

Before burning piles, fire managers track hyper-localized weather forecasts to check temperatures, snowpack conditions and wind. Snow and cooler temperatures are key tools in helping contain fire behavior while wind is an important factor in aiding smoke dispersal. Firefighters use air quality monitoring stations in areas where they plan on burning.

Smoke, flames, and glowing embers are often visible, and are a normal part of pile burning operations. Mild fire behavior between piles is expected and is also beneficial for future wildfire risk reduction. This can include forest litter between piles and lower limbs of trees.  Once burning has begun, firefighters patrol and monitor burned piles until there is no longer any heat emitted. 

This work is part of the National Wildfire Crisis Strategy effort to reduce the impacts of unplanned, large-scale fires on watersheds, wildlife habitat, recreation and communities. Fire is a natural and important part of a healthy Colorado ecosystem. With help from the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative and our community partners, prescribed fire on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and adjacent public and private lands is helping prepare our forests for unplanned fire when it happens. 

Learn more:

To view all prescribed fire projects across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, check out our new interactive map. Zoom into the location you are interested in, click on a prescribed burn unit and learn more about its status. 

Fire managers work with the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division to reduce the impacts of smoke on the public. For more information on how fire smoke may affect your health, see the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
 
Areas on the Sulphur Ranger District (Grand County) with hand and machine piles ready for burning: 

  • Near Fair Tracts, east of Tabernash along Water Board Rd (FSR 128): Map
  • West of Snow Mountain Ranch: Map
  • 6 miles east of Granby: Map
  • South of County Road 55 along the top of Blue Ridge: Map
  • West of County Road 50 at the Horseshoe Trailhead: Map 
  • Between Vasquez and East Elk Creeks on FSR 159, West of Winter Park Resort: Map
  • Bottle Pass between Ptarmigan and Bottle Peak: Map

Areas on the Clear Creek Ranger District (Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Jefferson County) with hand piles ready for burning: 

  • Yankee Hill Area Map
    • Intersection of HWY 119 and HWY 46, East of HWY 119, and South of HWY 46 (completed)
    • 1 mile north of Gilpin County School, at the end of FS Trail 732 (completed)
    • 2 miles west of Central City, west of the intersection of Bald Mountain Road and FS Road 273.2 (completed)
  • Cub Creek Trailhead, 5 miles SW of Evergreen Map

Areas on the Boulder Ranger District (Gilpin and Boulder Counties) with hand and machine piles ready for burning: 

  • Lump Gulch Area (Gilpin County) Map
    • Half-mile north of Rollinsville on Westside of Highway 119 (Peak to Peak) (completed)
    • West side of Lump Gulch Road, 1.5 miles south of Rollinsville on west side of Highway 119 Map
    • Gilpin County south and north sides of Gilpin Road, 3 miles south of Rollinsville on west side of Highway 119 Map (completed)
    • Off of South Beaver Rd (South Side) mile east of Highway 119
  • James Creek Area Map
    • 1.5 miles northwest of Jamestown, west of County Road 87
    • Half mile south of Jamestown or quarter mile east of Bar K Ranch
    • 2 miles east of Peak-to-Peak Highway on County Road 52
    • Half-mile north of Cal-Wood Education Center
  • St. Vrain Area  
    • In Meeker Park Map
    • 5 miles west of Lyons, north side of Ralph Price Reservoir (Button Rock) Map
  • Forsythe Area Map
    • 2 miles east of Nederland, north of Magnolia Road, adjacent to FS Trail 606 and near the intersection of Magnolia Road and Lazy Z Road (completed)
    • 1 mile northeast of Rollinsville, just north of Shoshone Road Map (completed)
    • Approximately mile maker 4.5 of Magnolia Road, north and south of Magnolia Road off FS Road 321 and 302 (completed)
    • 1.5 miles northwest of Wondervu, west side of Gross Reservoir
    • 2 miles southwest of Pinecliffe, east of South Beaver Road off Emory Road , La Chula Road, and Wedgewood Road (completed)

Areas on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District (Larimer County) with hand and machine piles ready for burning:  

  • Cedar Park 1 Map: (hand piles) 1 mile northeast of Drake from the intersection of US34 and CR43
  • Cedar Park 2 Map: (hand piles) 1 mile north of Drake from the intersection of US34 and CR43
  • Cedar Park 3 Map: (hand piles) 3 miles east of Drake and north of US34 at Cedar Cove
  • Glen Haven 2 & 3 Map: (hand piles) adjacent to Glen Haven on both sides of CR43
  • Glen Haven 4 Map: (hand piles) 3 miles east of Estes Park at the intersection of US34 and FSR117, north of Glen Comfort
  • Thompson River 4 Map: (hand piles) 6 miles east of Estes Park, along FSR122 (Pole Hill Road)
  • Thompson River 5 Map: (hand piles) 4 miles southeast of Estes Park, at the intersection of US36 and FSR124
  • Magic Sky 4 Map: (hand piles) 5 miles southeast of Red Feather Lakes and north of CR74E near Red Feather Highlands/DU Mountain Campus
  • Red Feather 5 Map: (hand piles) 4 miles northeast of Red Feather Lakes, along CR67J (Prairie Divide Road)
  • Cameron Peak Map: (machine piles) along roads west of Crystal Lakes subdivision and near the Killpecker repeater site at CR86 (Deadman Road) and FSR300
  • Elkhorn 3 Map: (machine piles) 3 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes and west along FSR517 (Bald Mountain Road)
  • Elkhorn 2019 Map: (machine piles) 2 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes and west along CR69 (Manhattan Road)
  • Roach Map: (machine piles) 1 mile south of Mountain Home, WY, along FSR516
  • Tower Timber Sale Map: (machine piles) 5 miles southwest of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of CR86 (Deadman Road) and FSR170 (Deadman Lookout Road) 
  • Cow Creek Map: (machine piles) 4 miles west of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of FSR169 (Pearl Beaver Road) and FSR 199 
  • Lonesome Timber Sale Map: (machine piles) 3 miles south of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of CR86 (Deadman Road) and FSR300
  • Diamond View Map: (machine piles) 11 miles northeast of Red Feather Lakes, along CR59 and FSR184 (adjacent to the Mill Creek subdivision)
  • Devils Creek Map: (machine piles) 5 miles north of Crystal Lakes Subdivision; at the intersection of CR80C and FSR182

 

Basic Information
Current as of Tue, 03/26/2024 - 12:39
Incident Type Prescribed Fire
Incident Commander Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Coordinates 40° 33' 32'' Latitude
-105° 5'
10
'' Longitude
Current Situation
Percent of Perimeter Contained 0%
Fuels Involved

Piled Fuels

Outlook
Projected Incident Activity

Pile burning ongoing as conditions allow