San Juan National Forest is planning to ignite slash piles as early as the week of Nov. 17, pending all required approvals and when there is sufficient snow or rain present to prevent fire spread.
Pile burning will continue as long as conditions allow, possibly through April 2026. Slash piles are generated from forest thinning and timber sales. Thinning projects improve forest health and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of wildfire near private residences and other infrastructure. Thinning slash is piled and burned to remove the debris that would fuel wildfire.
Pile burns planned for the Pagosa Ranger District include:
|
Name |
Location |
Acreage |
|
Buckles Lake Road |
Piles from the Coyote Park Timber Sale adjacent to U.S. 84 and NFSR 663. |
13 acres |
|
Kenny Flat |
Piles from Halfway Kenny Timber Sale adjacent to U.S. 84 and NFSR 006. |
128 acres
|
|
Valle Seco |
Hand piles from thinning operations in Valle Seco. Boles of thinned trees were harvested for firewood by local residents. Adjacent to U.S. 84 and NFSR 653. |
26 acres |
|
Mariposa |
Piles from Mariposa Timber Sale, adjacent to NFSR 024, Porcupine Road. |
439 acres |
|
Gobbler |
Piles from Gobbler Timber Sale, adjacent to NFSR 919 and FS Trails 307 and 303. |
178 acres |
|
Lower Turkey |
Hand piles from thinning operations NFSR 628. Boles of thinned trees were harvested for firewood by local residents. Adjacent to FSR 628. |
12 acres
|
|
Huerto |
Piles from Huerto Creek Timber Sale, adjacent to NFSR 631. |
183 acres |
No pile burning activities should affect public access or use of the forest. Watch for warning signs along roads near prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road. Burning will only occur when all conditions of the state-issued smoke permit are met.
Learn how smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns and pile burns may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website: www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app.
We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.
Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through InciWeb and the San Juan National Forest Facebook page. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
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