Residents in Woodland Park in Teller County near Forest Service Road 307 and north of Rampart Reservoir on Schubarth Trail may see smoke as the Pikes Peak Ranger District conducts prescribed pile burns.

This is for the West Schubarth prescribed burn operation, according to a post on X from the United States Forest Service account.

According to Shawna Graves with the public affairs office for the Pikes and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, many people are on the ground controlling the situation.

She says they are burning 600 piles and the burning should just last today. Ignitions started at 10:40 a.m. and should cease by early afternoon.

The piles are from low hanging tree branches and brush as part of the forest service’s land management strategy to help clear underbrush.

She says this fuels reduction project reduces fuels and lessens the risk of high intensity wildfire.