#Summit County #Colorado
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| Courtesy of the Whiter River National Forest |
Smoke from the burning of slash piles may be visible around Summit County in the coming weeks and months as the White River National Forest continues mitigation efforts on the Dillon Ranger District this winter.
Slash piles have been created for burning in areas where other means of disposal such as chipping are not feasible. Most of those areas include fuel reduction projects in the wildland urban interface and at the site of wildlife habitat improvement projects. The reductions help decrease the risk of unwanted wildfire from encroaching on communities while also giving firefighters a chance to combat wildfire and defend nearby homes.
Ideal burning conditions require adequate ventilation or light winds for smoke dispersion, as well as some permanent snow on the ground to keep fire contained to the piles. Though the Forest Service expects this to be a short-term occurrence, prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. Most of the smoke will dissipate during the day, but some nighttime smoke may remain in valley bottoms and drainages.
When conditions warrant, specific locations for pile burning this winter will be:
Spring Creek northwest of Green Mountain Reservoir
Ophir Mountain west of Farmers Corner
Tiger Road in Breckenridge
Spruce Valley Ranch/Indiana Gulch area
Sierra Bosque Subdivision north of Silverthorne
Mt. Powell Ranch west of Highway 9
Barton Creek Road in Breckenridge
Peaks Trail/Miners Creek in Frisco
Mesa Cortina subdivision in Breckenridge
Highlands subdivision in Breckenridge
For more information about potential health concerns, visit: colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health
