FAIRPLAY, Colo., October 2, 2006… The Pike and San Isabel National Forests-South Park Ranger District is preparing for controlled burning in the Sledgehammer East Project near Lake George. The project is in the Blue Mountain/Fish Creek area located southwest of Lake George, south of Elevenmile Canyon, and east of Elevenmile Reservoir in Park County.

Burning may take place during October and November. Ignition will begin when weather and fuel conditions would a low-intensity burn with minimal smoke impacts to surrounding communities. The project must also meet all the conditions of a detailed burn plan. When burning does take place, it may last from one to several days, with smoke visible from Highway 24 and other areas. Expect smoke to be in the area for several days after ignitions are completed.

Fire managers hope to burn up to 600 acres this fall, depending on weather conditions. Vegetation types are mostly ponderosa pine, grass and shrubs. Most of the timber has been thinned by commercial logging projects and hazard fuels reduction crews. The slash piles from these treatments have been burned during the winter. Surface burning of the area is the final step in the process, and is designed to reduce the amount of timber needles, duff and small diameter woody debris, as well as improve soil nutrients and resprout grass and shrubs for wildlife.

Due to one of the wettest monsoon seasons in recent decades, some burn units with deeper litter and duff layers may not be dry enough to achieve acceptable fire effects before the end of the burn season. In this case, fire managers will give priority to burning units with lighter fuel loadings and extensive grass.

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. 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, in turn, has adversely impacted wildlife and increased the occurrence of large, high-intensity destructive wildfires. Multi-stage fuels treatments are a viable way to restore forest health and reduce the wildfire threat to land and home owners.