FAIRPLAY, Colo., April 6, 2009…The Pike National Forest - South Park District is preparing for controlled burning in the Fish Creek and Road Gulch projects near Lake George in Park County. The projects are in the Blue Mountain and Wagon Tongue Gulch area, southwest of Lake George, south of Elevenmile Canyon, and east of Elevenmile Resevoir.
Burning is expected to begin in April and possibly continue through May. Recent storms have moderated conditions in the area and created an opportunity for succesful and safe burning operations. Ignition can take place only when weather and fuel conditions are such that the fire will be of low to moderate intensity and smoke impacts to surrounding communities are minimized, and meet the conditions of a detailed burn plan. If burning does take place, it may last from one to several days, with smoke visible from Highway 24 and other areas during actual burning days, as well as several days after ignitions are completed.
As many as 450 acres may be burned this spring, 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, and 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.
These controlled burns are 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. Multi-stage fuels treatments are a viable way to restore forest health and reduce the wildfire threat to land and home owners.
