San Juan National Forest plans fall prescribed fires

The San Juan National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations this fall, pending all required approvals and favorable environmental conditions.

Project maps and additional details can be found on our Prescribed Fire InciWeb page. We estimate this work will begin as early as mid-September and continue through the fall as weather conditions allow. 

While the summer has been hot and dry, fall brings cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity and potential for rain. Prescribed fires are often implemented on the cusp of wildfire season to effectively consume the targeted vegetation. We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires. The forests in Southwest Colorado are part of a fire-adapted ecosystem, which has historically experienced frequent, low-intensity fires on a large scale. Prescribed fire replicates that fire regime under controlled conditions. 

Prescribed fires planned

Columbine Ranger District:
Beginning as early as mid-September, the Columbine Ranger District will begin the following prescribed fire projects. Smoke will be visible from Arboles, Bayfield and Pagosa Springs, as well as the U.S. 160 and Colo. 151 corridors near those towns. Daytime smoke is expected to travel to the north/northeast. Nighttime smoke is expected to travel downslope into the Piedra and Pine River drainages.

• Vallecito-Piedra Prescribed Fire: This project includes three units totaling approximately 3,200 acres along Beaver Meadows Road (NFS Road 135), 8 miles northeast of Bayfield in both La Plata and Archuleta counties.
• Southern HDs Prescribed Fire: This project is approximately 2,000 acres in the Fosset Gulch area (NFS Road 613), west of Chimney Rock National Monument in Archuleta County.

Pagosa Ranger District:

Beginning in mid-September, the Pagosa Ranger District plans to implement multiple prescribed fire projects in Archuleta County. Smoke will be visible from U.S. 160, U.S. 84, County Road 600, downtown, Pagosa Lakes, Loma Linda, Rio Blanco, Alpine Lakes Ranch and Chromo areas.

• Blanco Navajo Prescribed Fire: The three units at Kenny Flats, roughly 14 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs, total 981 acres. These units have undergone mechanical fuels reduction, and the slash piles were burned in February. This prescribed fire treatment will further reduce small logging slash that remains.
• Eight Mile Prescribed Fire: This project includes four units for a total of 579 acres located 6 miles south of Pagosa Springs. This prescribed fire will be cleaning up slash and debris left over from mastication work completed in 2022, as well as thinning work from 2023. 
• Brockover-Devil Prescribed Fire: This multiyear project is expected to continue this fall, located in the Turkey Springs area near Hatcher neighborhood and south of Dunagan Canyon on NFS Road 630. Three units are tentatively planned for a total of 1,313 acres. This prescribed fire work is building on the success of past thinning and chipping operations completed in 2007, as well as previous broadcast prescribed fires. 

Dolores Ranger District:
The Dolores Ranger District is planning prescribed fire operations, beginning in September. Smoke will be visible from U.S. 160 and 491, and Colo. 184.

• Boggy Draw Prescribed Fire: This project includes eight units totaling 3,133 acres in Montezuma County, located 4-6 miles northeast of Dolores, along NFS Roads 526 and 527. This prescribed fire will be adjacent to units previously burned in 2023-2026 and intends to protect critical infrastructure (WAPA Powerlines).
• Haycamp Mesa Prescribed Fire: This single unit includes 890 acres, and is located 7 miles north of Mancos in Montezuma County, near Hamlin Reservoir along NFS Road 385. This burn aims to reintroduce fire into the Chicken Creek landscape following previous timber sales within the unit and surrounding area.

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit Wood Smoke and Your Health. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow or download the app. Additional notification will take place before each burn plan is implemented with detailed information about local community smoke impact. 

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled. Prescribed fires will only be ignited when all weather, fuels and smoke requirements are met.

Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website, social media channels, and InciWeb, the interagency incident information system. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.