Contact: Jordan Mead, Resource Specialist, Summit County Open Space and Trails Department
SUMMIT COUNTY – With winter conditions setting in, Summit County Open Space and Trails, along with partners at the Town of Breckenridge, the Ember Alliance (formerly the Forest Stewards Guild), the Red, White, and Blue Fire Protection District, and the Department of Fire Protection and Control, are planning pile burning operations at the Mesa Cortina Open Space west of Silverthorne and the B&B Mines Open Space north of French Gulch Road in Breckenridge.
“Summit County is committed to community wildfire protection through targeted fuels reduction treatments on the Wildland-Urban Interface throughout the County. The recent Ptarmigan fire was a stark reminder of the need for these treatments,” said Jordan Mead, Resource Specialist. “Pile burning is the final step in the hazardous fuels reduction portion of these treatments. We will continue to monitor forest regeneration in these areas with Colorado State Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy to ensure healthy and adequate reforestation.”
Summit County will coordinate their burn operations at the Wellington-B&B Mines Open Space with the Forest Service, who also plans to burn piles this winter season on their portion of this cross-boundary project.
Burn operations will take place with at least six inches of snow on the ground and a forecast that will maintain at least six inches of snow for 48 hours following the burn. Specific burn days will be announced on Summit County social media pages and through Summit County Alerts when conditions are favorable for rapid pile consumption and quick smoke dispersal.
Smoke sensitive individuals are encouraged to vacate the area on burn days, if possible. However, for individuals not able to leave, exposure to smoke can be greatly reduced by keeping windows and doors closed and using a portable air filtration unit if one is available. If you would like to be added to a list of smoke sensitive individuals in these areas and to be notified individually of upcoming burn days, please contact Jordan Mead, Resource Specialist with Summit County Open Space and Trails, at (970) 668-4065 or email: jordan.mead@summitcountyco.gov.
These projects are funded by the Summit County 1A Strong Futures Fund along with Denver Water’s Forest to Faucets 2 grant program. The Strong Futures Fund dedicates $1M annually for wildfire mitigation strategies including fuels reduction, wildfire education, and fire protection equipment. For more information, please visit https://www.summitcountyco.gov/1316/Mesa-Cortina-Hazardous-Fuels-Reduction.
“We appreciate our community’s support of these programs that play an integral part in Summit County’s commitment to community safety, hazardous fuels reduction, and forest health management,” said Mead.
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