UPDATES (Nov. 18 @2 p.m.):
- New Location: “Baldy Mountain Piles—Ouray RD: Located in Ouray County, one mile south of Ridgway, Colo., near Baldy Mountain along Highway 550.”
- Added Inciweb link
DELTA, Colo. (Nov. 18, 2025) — Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests are planning prescribed fire operations over the next several months, pending all required approvals. We estimate this work to continue through the spring as conditions allow. We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
Prescribed fires planned for the GMUG include:
- Overland Machine Piles—Paonia Ranger District (RD): Located in Delta County, 15 miles north of Paonia, Colo., in the Beaver Creek area along U.S. Forest System Road (USFSR) 701.
- Hubbard Machine Piles—Paonia RD: Located in Delta County, 11 miles north of Paonia, Colo., in the West Hubbard Creek area along USFSR 701.
- Rim Machine Piles—Grand Valley RD: Located in Mesa County, 19 miles east of Grand Junction, Colo., in the North Fork of Kannah Creek area along USFSR 105.
- Main Mesa Leftovers Machine Piles—Grand Valley RD: Located in Mesa County, 9 miles north of Cedaredge, Colo., near Trickle Park Reservoir.
- Cottonwood South Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 30 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., in the Taylor Park Reservoir area along County Road (CR) 209.
- EZ Hazard Tree Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 16 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., along CR 742 and USFSR 744.
- Sargent’s Mesa Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 35 miles southeast of Gunnison, Colo., near Sargent’s Mesa along USFS 578.
- Big Willow Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 32 miles southwest of Gunnison, Colo., along USFSR 867.
- Ridgestock Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 32 miles southwest of Gunnison, Colo., along USFSR 867.
- Slaughterhouse Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near the town of Tincup along USFSR 765.
- Tin Cup Small Sale Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near the town of Tincup along USFSR 765.
- Taylor Firewood Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near Taylor Park along USFSR 587.
- Monarch Handpiles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 33 miles east of Gunnison, Colo., near Monarch Pass along Highway 50.
- Crossbar Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 27 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., along CR 888.
- Groundhog Piles—Norwood RD: Located in San Miguel County, 13 miles southwest of Placerville, Colo., near Groundhog Mountain along the 611 Road.
- Baldy Mountain Piles—Ouray RD: Located in Ouray County, one mile south of Ridgway, Colo., near Baldy Mountain along Highway 550.
While the burns listed for Paonia RD are scheduled to happen by the end of November, the order of other burns will be dictated by local weather, soil moisture, vegetation conditions, available firefighting resources and public safety considerations.
The areas around prescribed fires may close to the public for several days for public safety during burn operations. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns. Closure updates and burn alerts will be released on the GMUG official Facebook and website.
We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.
Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through InciWeb, the forest website and Facebook. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
DELTA, Colo. (Nov. 18, 2025) — Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests are planning prescribed fire operations over the next several months, pending all required approvals. We estimate this work to continue through the spring as conditions allow. We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
Prescribed fires planned for the GMUG include:
- Overland Machine Piles—Paonia Ranger District (RD): Located in Delta County, 15 miles north of Paonia, Colo., in the Beaver Creek area along U.S. Forest System Road (USFSR) 701.
- Hubbard Machine Piles—Paonia Ranger District RD: Located in Delta County, 11 miles north of Paonia, Colo., in the West Hubbard Creek area along USFSR 701.
- Rim Machine Piles—Grand Valley RD: Located in Mesa County, 19 miles east of Grand Junction, Colo., in the North Fork of Kannah Creek area along USFSR 105.
- Main Mesa Leftovers Machine Piles—Grand Valley RD: Located in Mesa County, 9 miles north of Cedaredge, Colo., near Trickle Park Reservoir.
- Cottonwood South Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 30 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., in the Taylor Park Reservoir area along County Road (CR) 209.
- EZ Hazard Tree Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 16 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., along CR 742 and USFSR 744.
- Sargent’s Mesa Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 35 miles southeast of Gunnison, Colo., near Sargent’s Mesa along USFS 578.
- Big Willow Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 32 miles southwest of Gunnison, Colo., along USFSR 867.
- Ridgestock Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 32 miles southwest of Gunnison, Colo., along USFSR 867.
- Slaughterhouse Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near the town of Tincup along USFSR 765.
- Tin Cup Small Sale Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near the town of Tincup along USFSR 765.
- Taylor Firewood Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 25 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., near Taylor Park along USFSR 587.
- Monarch Handpiles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 33 miles east of Gunnison, Colo., near Monarch Pass along Highway 50.
- Crossbar Piles—Gunnison RD: Located in Gunnison County, 27 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colo., along CR 888.
- Groundhog Piles—Norwood RD: Located in San Miguel County, 13 miles southwest of Placerville, Colo., near Groundhog Mountain along the 611 Road.
While the burns listed for Paonia RD are scheduled to happen by the end of November, the order of other burns will be dictated by local weather, soil moisture, vegetation conditions, available firefighting resources and public safety considerations.
The areas around prescribed fires may close to the public for several days for public safety during burn operations. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns. Closure updates and burn alerts will be released on the GMUG official Facebook and website.
We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.
Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website and Facebook. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
