PILE BURNING NOTICE: Ember Alliance Burning Slash Piles on Private Lands During Winter 2021

Thinning and pile burning are critical steps in our forest restoration efforts. (Photo credit: Evan Barrientos, 2019)

The Ember Alliance will be burning slash piles on private lands in the Elkhorn Creek area of Larimer County during the winter of 2021. Burning of these piles could take place throughout the upcoming snowy, winter months. Ignitions could start as early as February 17, 2021. Piles ready to be burned are located on the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch, on the east end of North Rim Rd above the switchbacks and south of Elkhorn Creek. Typically, crews are permitted to burn as many hand piles a day as smoke dispersal permits allow.  Further conditions need to be met, which include a minimum of three inches of snow cover and eye level wind speeds of 10 MPH or less.

These piles will only be ignited under certain conditions, including favorable smoke dispersal and adequate snow cover as well as approval from the local Fire Protection District. All piles will be “mopped-up” (out cold) before sunset of the day they are ignited.  There may be limited residual smoke in the area overnight. The areas are monitored and patrolled during ignitions as well as for several days after burning is completed. When and where burning occurs depends on the conditions listed above. Public and firefighter safety is always the number one priority in burning operations.

Private lands slash pile burning operations are conducted in coordination with Larimer County Emergency Services and local Fire Protection Districts, and smoke emissions are permitted through either Larimer County or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The Fort Collins Interagency Dispatch Center and the US Forest Service are also made aware of the burning.

To receive regular updates about private lands burning in your area, please contact Megan Maiolo-Heath at the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (megan@poudrewatershed.org) or Kristin Leger at The Ember Alliance (kristin@emberalliance.org).

If you would like to receive regular updates about burning on U.S. Forest Service lands in your area, please contact Reghan Cloudman at reghan.cloudman@usda.gov to be added to the district’s email contact list. USFS slash pile burning information for the 2021 season is posted online at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4648/. 

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.