Fresh off last week’s snowfall along the Front Range, the U.S. Forest Service announced that it will conduct prescribed burns in national forests across Colorado.

The Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands began prescribed pile burning of slash piles this month, according to a Forest Service news release. Prescribed burning is scheduled to continue into the spring of 2025 throughout all districts and as conditions allow at the following locations:

Pikes Peak Ranger District

• West Schubarth – north side of Rampart Reservoir (El Paso County).
• North Divide – north of Colorado 67 and northeast of Divide approximately 2 miles west of Woodland Park (Teller County).
• Forest Road 331 – 2 miles southwest of Crystal Reservoir (El Paso County).
• In Teller County – landing piles near Painted Rocks Campground, 5 miles north of Woodland Park adjacent to Colorado 67.

South Platte Ranger District

• Deer Creek – south of Saddlestring Road, north and east of Forest Service Road 105 (Park County).
• Harris Park – north of county roads 43 and 47; adjacent to Harris Park, Elk Creek Highlands and Forest Ridge communities (Park County).
• Hatch – east of County Road 67 along the South Platte River corridor (Douglas County).
• Miller Gulch – at the junction of County Road 70 and Forest Service Road 553 near the Miller Gulch Trailhead (Jefferson County).
• Payne Gulch – south of Bailey, along County Road 64 (Park County).
• Rock Creek – along County Road 68, 3 miles southeast of the town of Bailey (Park County).

South Park Ranger District

• Cannonball – 3 miles northwest of Lake George (Park County).
• Praise Mountain – approximately 2 to 7 miles southwest of Lake George along Park County roads 61, 98 and 403 (Park County).
• Pulver-Gun Barrel – approximately 5 miles northwest of Lake George toward Wilkerson Pass, along U.S. 24 and Park County Road 90 corridors (Park County).
• Warm Springs Subdivision – approximately 8 miles south of Fairplay (Park County).

Salida Ranger District

• Cleveland Mountain Piles – between County Road 210 and U.S. 285 (Chaffee County).

Leadville Ranger District

• Railroad Bridge Piles – between County Road 371 and County Road 375 (Chaffee County).

San Carlos Ranger District

• Black Mountain – 11 miles north of Gardner (Huerfano County).
• Cuchara – near Colorado 12, from Cuchara Pass north to Cuchara (Huerfano County).
• Greenhorn – along the crest of the Wet Mountains, near Forest Service roads 401 and 369 (Custer County).
• 12-Mile – along Colorado 78, 2 miles north of San Isabel (Custer County).

Comanche National Grassland

• Carrizo Work Center – near County Road 19 and U.S. 160 (Baca County).
• Sand Canyon – near County Road 13 and Forest Service Road 2368, 1 mile north of Oklahoma state line (Baca County).
• Purgatoire River – 3 miles South of Picket Wire Corrals (Las Animas County).

Cimarron National Grassland

• Tunnerville Work Center – Kansas 27, 3 miles north of Elkhart, Kansas (Morton County).
• Cimarron Recreation Area – 14 miles north-northwest of Wilburton, Kansas (Morton County).
• Turkey Trail – 10 miles north of Elkhart, Kansas (Morton County).
• Cimarron River Campground – 8 miles north of Elkhart, Kansas (Morton County).

Slash piles consist of small trees, treetops and limbs cut and piled up for these prescribed burns. The Forest Service release says slash piles will only be set alight “when weather and fuel conditions are met and when smoke impacts can be managed within state requirements.”

Fire personnel will monitor the burns until the fires are completely out.

The goal of the prescribed burs is to reduce the accumulation of flammable material and to restore and maintain healthy, diverse forest ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

Updated information on prescribed burns will also be available on the Forest Service social media X and Facebook accounts.