LAKE GEORGE, Colo., September 19, 2007…The Pike National Forest is preparing for controlled burning in the Sledgehammer East Project near Lake George in Park County. The project is in the Blue Mountain and Sledgehammer Gulch area southwest of Lake George, south of Elevenmile Canyon, and east of Elevenmile Resevoir.
Dates for the burning are anticipated to be late September, October and possible early November. Ignition can take place only when weather and fuel conditions are such that the fire will be of low to moderate intensity with minimal smoke impacts to surrounding communities. The project must also meet all of the conditions of a detailed burn plan. Once burning begins, it may last from one to several days with smoke visible from Highway 24 and other areas during actual burning days. Smoke will last for several days after ignitions are completed.
As many as 1,200 acres may be burned this fall, depending on weather conditions. Vegetation types are mostly ponderosa pine, grass and shrubs. Burning will generally be of low intensity and is designed to reduce the amount of timber needles, duff and small diameter woody debris. It will improve soil nutrients and resprout grass and shrubs for wildlife. In limited areas of dense, smaller diameter timber the fire behavior is expected to be active enough to achieve some natural thinning of conifers.
The Sledgehammer East Prescribed Burn is part of the Sledgehammer Ecosystem Management Project, a multi-year undertaking. The goal is to restore more open conifer stands to the area, increasing the amount of grass, shrubs and aspen, and reducing dead fuel loading on the forest floor. Historically, lightning-caused fires and Native American burning maintained this preferred condition, but fire suppression and other activities since the turn of the century have led to overstocking of pine and Douglas-fir and a reduction of plant diversity. This has adversely impacted wildlife and increased the occurrence of large, high-intensity destructive wildfires.
It is no longer feasible to let lightning-caused fires burn in most areas so fuels treatments using mechanical means, fire, or both, are the most viable way of restoring forest health and reducing the wildfire threat to land and home owners.
