The Bureau of Land Management is preparing to conduct pile burns in nine locations this winter. The specific locations of the pile burns are listed below.

Pile burns could occur as early as November 2021 or any time through March 2022, depending on favorable weather and fuel moisture conditions. The purpose of the pile burns is to remove slash left behind from timber harvests and previous fuels-thinning treatments. These timber harvests and fuels treatments remove beetle-killed timber and other woody fuels, reducing the risk of future catastrophic wildfire. They also help create various stages of plant succession, which is critical to the health of fire-adapted ecosystems.

Visible smoke from the pile burns should be expected throughout the day when burning, mostly during the warmest part of the day. With cooler evening temperatures, smoke may linger and accumulate in low-lying areas. Signage may be posted around areas where burning is occurring.

According to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, “Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.”

For additional information, contact Matt Norden, Fire Operations Specialist, (719) 269-8583, or John Markalunas, Deputy Fire Management Officer, (719) 257- 8785, at the BLM’s Rocky Mountain District Fire and Aviation Management office.     

  1. Hole in the Rock – 2,400 hand piles. Legal Location: T16S / R70W / S 7. The surrounding fuels are ponderosa pine, piñon pine, juniper, and Gambel oak. The burn is located north of Cañon City off of Fremont County Road 11 and east of the High Park Subdivision.
  2. Whiskey – 3,000 large hand piles. Legal Location: T16S / R71W / S 8, 9. The surrounding fuels are ponderosa pine, piñon pine, juniper, and grass. The burn is located 6.5 miles southwest of Cripple Creek, south of Fremont County Road 11 and west of the High Park Subdivision.
  3. Likely Gulch – 2,000 hand piles. Legal Location: T20S / R73W / S 5, 6. The surrounding fuels are piñon pine, juniper, and ponderosa pine. The burn is located south of Texas Creek off of Colorado Highway 69 and Road Gulch.
  4. Tyndall – 3 machine piles. Legal Location: T22S / R71W / S 16. The surrounding fuels are ponderosa pine and grass. The burn is located three miles north of Rosita, 7.5 miles east of Westcliffe and south of Colorado Highway 96, near Mount Tyndall.
  5. Pinyon Mountain – 450 hand piles. Legal Location: T48N / R10E / S 10, 11, 15. The surrounding fuels are piñon pine, juniper, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir. The burn is located directly south of the Acres of Ireland subdivision, 0.75 mile south of U.S. Highway 50, and 1.5 miles south of Howard.
  6. Kerr Gulch – 250 hand piles. Legal Location: T49N / R10E / S 24. The surrounding fuels are piñon pine, juniper, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir. The burn is located 1.5 miles west of U.S. Highway 50, three miles northwest of the Coaldale.
  7. Thompson Mountain – 35 machine piles. Legal Location: T17S / R71W / S 6. The surrounding fuels are ponderosa pine, piñon pine, juniper, and Gambel oak. The burn is located 13 miles northwest of Cañon City, two miles east of Colorado Highway 9, and in the Deer Haven area near Thompson Mountain.
  8. Waugh Mountain – 50 hand and machine piles. Legal Location: T51N / R12E / S 33. The piles consist of Douglas fir and Engelman spruce logging slash, within surrounding fuels that include Douglas fir, Engelman spruce, bristlecone pine, and limber pine. The burn is located 25 miles northwest of Cañon City, 19 miles northeast of Salida, and two miles south of Fremont County Road 2.
  9. Stone Cabin – 50 hand and machine piles. Legal Location: T12S / R79W / S 8. The surrounding fuels are ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. The burn is located 14 miles northwest of Buena Vista, 16 miles south of Leadville, and immediately east of Clear Creek Reservoir.