Pile-burning season begins in the White River National Forest
Winter pile burning on the White River National Forest begins Wednesday with firefighters burning slash piles south of Eagle in the Third Gulch area near Hardscrabble Road. On Thursday and Friday, crews will burn piles northwest of Breckenridge near Barton Road, west of the Breckenridge Distillery.
The piles are the result of projects designed to improve forest health and help reduce fuels for wildfire. Smoke and flames could be visible from the Interstate 70 corridor, Highway 9, and surrounding areas.
Firefighters from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Management Unit will continue to burn piles on National Forest System lands in Eagle and Summit counties when conditions are good this winter.
In Eagle County, burn piles planned for this winter are located in the Piney Salvage area near Red and White Mountain north of Vail and Third Gulch along the Hardscrabble Road. Burn piles locations in Summit County include the Breckenridge area (White Cloud Drive, Tiger Road, Highlands Drive, and Barton Gulch to Peak 7), Keystone area (Frey Gulch, Keystone Gulch), Silverthorne area (Ruby Ranch, Harrigan to Rock Creek) and Frisco area (Heaton Bay, Ophir Mountain).
Fire managers have developed a detailed prescribed fire plan and obtained smoke permits from the State of Colorado. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, visit: Colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health. For more information about these pile burns call East Zone Fuels Specialist Matt Walls at 970-401-1634.
