MONTROSE, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office and Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area plan to initiate prescribed burning when conditions allow this spring. The project areas are located on BLM-managed lands on Dry Mesa above Escalante Creek near the Montrose, Delta, and Mesa County lines west of Delta, and along Government Springs Road south of Montrose.
“The continuation of these projects will have positive outcomes with the reintroduction of fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem by reducing hazardous fuels, improving rangeland health for livestock grazing and big game habitat, and providing some protection to adjacent private properties, structures and infrastructure by treating the 200 acres of pinyon-juniper woodlands, Gambel oak and sagebrush, along Government Springs Road” said Rusty Stark, BLM Fire Management Specialist.
Each project area has a detailed burn plan that outlines the parameters for prescribed burning and contains specific criteria regarding weather conditions and air quality that must be met to ensure control of the burn, as well as minimizing the potential smoke impact to local communities.
The prescribed burns may take multiple days to complete once initiated and will be monitored after completion to ensure public safety. While smoke may be visible in the area at times, most of the smoke will lift and dissipate during the warmest parts of the day. Expect visible smoke in the area for several days after each burn is completed as vegetation in the interior continues to smolder.
The BLM obtained smoke permits from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division, which identify atmospheric conditions under which the burns can be implemented. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.
For information on prescribed burns, visit the Southwest District BLM Prescribed Fire InciWeb page (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7852/) or follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit).
