Canyon Lakes Ranger District Pile Burning Notice

Photo credit: Canyon Lakes Ranger District

Photo credit: Canyon Lakes Ranger District

Firefighters from the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest plan to take advantage of winter snow to burn slash piles from multiple fuels reduction and hazardous tree removal projects. Burning of these piles could take place throughout the upcoming snowy, winter months. Typically crews are permitted to burn as many as 250 to 1,000 smaller hand piles a day at each location if conditions are met, which includes a minimum of three inches of snow cover, and one to 40 larger machine piles could be burned a day with a minimum of six inches of snow.

These piles are only ignited under certain conditions, including favorable smoke dispersal and adequate snow cover. The areas are monitored after burning is completed. When and where burning occurs depends on the conditions listed above. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations.

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

  • Stub Creek: 7 hand piles General Location: At the U.S. Forest Service Stub Creek Work Center and south of Glendevy   

  • Thompson River 4: 10,500 hand piles General Location: 6 miles east of Estes Park  

  • Thompson River 3: 4,200 hand piles General Location: Hwy-36 and Lions Gulch Trailhead, near Estes Park, CO 

  • Cedar Park 1: 10,000 hand piles General Location: Hwy-34 and FSR-128 Storm Mountain Road, near Drake, CO 

  • Magic Sky 4: 7,000 hand piles General Location: CR-74E and Red Feather Highlands subdivision, east of Red Feather Lakes, CO 

  • Magic Sky 4 “Elk Units”: 200 hand piles General Location: CR-86 and FSR-501, near Red Feather Lakes, CO 

  • FSR200 “Roadside”: 18 machine piles General Location: FSR-200 and “Old Roach Area”, south of Wycolo, WY 

  • Swampou: 7 machine piles General Location: CR-69 and FSR-171, south of Red Feather Lakes, CO 

If you would like to receive regular updates about burning in your area, please contact Reghan Cloudman at reghan.cloudman@usda.gov to get added to the district’s email contact list and information is posted online at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4648/. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

Forest HealthMegan Maiolo-Heathpile burning