Starting this month, the Dolores Ranger District will conduct a series of prescribed fires.
The three areas chosen to burn include 2,500 acres at Haycamp Mesa, 2,775 acres at Boggy Draw and 1,280 acres at Salter.
In choosing where to burn, the main – but not only – goal is to prevent the chance of a catastrophic wildfire.
Other objectives are to “reduce hazardous ground fuels, lessen the risk of unplanned large-scale wildfire, help restore ponderosa pine ecosystems, and improve wildlife habitat,” the Forest Service news release said.
The prescribed fires will happen over several days and could continue through fall, depending on weather and fuel conditions, the news release said.
Residents can expect smoke around Mancos, Dolores, Dove Creek, Cortez, and U.S. Highway 491 between Dove Creek and Pleasant View.
Smoke will likely settle into “low-lying valleys and the Dolores River Canyon,” so be on the lookout for that as well.
The Forest Service put monitors in populated areas to make sure particulate matter in the smoke doesn’t reach certain levels that are deemed harmful for human health. If it does, burning will cease.
For more information on how smoke impacts health, check out their website.
