Pile burning season appears like it will finally arrive to Colorado later this week

 

A pile burn in the Grand Mesa National Forest, November 2020

Two factors have really delayed pile burning in Colorado as we approach the end of 2025.  First, the federal government shutdown has not allowed agencies to work on these types of projects.  Second, the weather has definitely not been cooperative.  Pile burning really ramps up when the snow starts flying.  As Coloradoans are well aware, snow has been lacking in a big way this autumn.  

Fortunately, it appears that both of those factors are changing.  With federal agencies getting back to work and a big weather pattern change on the way, we should start to see a significant increase in pile burning operations.

We will provide occasional updates on pile burning projects, especially the bigger burns that will be in close vicinity to communities that could be impacted by the smoke.  You can check the status of scheduled burn operations at the "Prescribed fire map" tab above.  Also be sure to to check out our Woodsmoke and your health webpage if there will be prescribed fires taking place near your area.

There are also many other great resources to get prescribed fire information from individual national forests.  The Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest provides information including an interactive map. Also check out the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest webpage for burn information in that part of Colorado.

Update on Prescribed Burning Operations This Week

As mentioned in a post yesterday, two prescribed burns were scheduled to take place along the Front Range this week. This post serves as an update on those planned operations.

The Mathews Pasture, Spruce Meadows project is located in southern Douglas County will take place today, Wednesday, November 12. Smoke from this operation will be visible at times along I-25 between Larkspur and Monument, as well as in areas near the burn site. Please refer to the news story provided by Douglas County for additional information. To see the location of the burn, please refer to previous blog post or the Prescribed Fire Map tab above.

Planned operations for prescribed burning in Boulder County have been postponed, and will not take place this week. Once this operation has been rescheduled, we will provide updated information and expectations.

Prescribed Burning Operations Planned This Week

Two projects for prescribed burning operations are planned to take place along the Front Range this week.

The Mathews Pasture, Spruce Meadows project is located in southern Douglas County, between Larkspur and Monument. These operations are planned to take place on Wednesday November, 12. Smoke from this burn will be visible along I-25 and from locations in this area. Please see the map in the image below for the location of this burn, or consult the Prescribed Fire Map by clicking on the tab above.

Map of location of the Mathews Pasture, Spruce Meadows prescribed burning operation.

The Flatirons Vista project is located south of Boulder, near Eldorado Springs, and is currently expected to take place on Thursday, November, 13. Planning and resource assembly are underway for this operation, taking great care to ensure public safety and minimize any impacts to local air quality. Smoke from this operation will be visible from many locations along the Front Range including Boulder, Broomfield, and the surrounding communities.

As with the above mentioned project, please see the map in the image below for the location of this burn, or consult the Prescribed Fire Map by clicking on the tab above.

Map of location of the Flatirons Vista prescribed burning operation.

The ignition for both operations has not yet been confirmed, and will be based on adequate staffing resources and favorable weather conditions. Due to the visibility of both projects CDPHE/APCD and the agencies conducting these operations want to draw public awareness to these plans.

No significant public health impacts are expected from either operation, however light to moderate smoke is possible in the immediate vicinity of both prescribed burns. If you are sensitive to smoke (fine particulates), please consider taking precautions to protect your health in these areas as these operations take place.