Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, effective Aug. 12, 2025, for unincorporated western Boulder County.

Visit the Boulder County Ballot Measures website for information about possible 2025 ballot measures.

Prescribed Burns
Prescribed burn

Prescribed Burn Projects

Parks & Open Space and the Sheriff’s Office Wildland Fire Management Program plan to conduct prescribed burns when conditions allow. Smoke and flames may be visible for up to 72 hours. There may be heavy smoke in the air. Please do not call 911 since a controlled burn is not an emergency. The areas will be monitored to ensure fires are completely out.

Agriculture and Irrigation Ditch Burning

Agriculture burning is done to remove vegetation to control weeds and prepare areas for reseeding. Irrigation ditches are burned to remove unwanted vegetation for improved water delivery, nutrient cycling, and planting success.

Burn projects depend on weather conditions, including relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind. Projects will only proceed when conditions are suitable. Fire managers will monitor all projects until they are called out. There may be heavy smoke in the air. Please do not call 911 since these controlled burns are not emergencies.

Upcoming Burn Projects

Projects for the 2025–26 season are expected to begin in November. A list of properties and planned projects will be announced later this year.

2024-25 Burn Projects

During the 2024–25 season, 38,872 feet of ditch were successfully treated with prescribed burning.

Smoke comes off a burned ditch with a firefighter standing nearby

Slash Pile Burning

Slash pile burns are conducted to reduce the amount of fuel on the ground as a result of thinning operations. Burns are usually scheduled when there is a winter weather system in the area.

Operations will be conducted only when conditions ensure safe fire operations and containment. Burn projects depend on ideal weather conditions, including relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind. Projects will only proceed when conditions are suitable. Fire managers will monitor all projects until they are called out. Please do not call 911 since these controlled burns are not emergencies.

Upcoming Burn Projects

Projects for the 2025–26 season are expected to begin this winter. A list of properties and planned projects will be announced later this year.

Two firefighters monitor the controlled burning of slash piles in a snow-covered forest

Nelson Loop Prescribed Burn Project at Hall Ranch

The Nelson Loop project is an 816-acre project being implemented as part of a restoration-based prescription designed to re-introduce fire to the ecosystem to maintain current forest structure and reduce the number of small-diameter trees that are encroaching into the meadows. The planned operations will also have the benefit of reducing the amount of fuel available in the event of a wildland fire.

Six units for a total of 198 acres have been identified for ignitions. These units build upon the previous work conducted in 2012 and 2023. All ignitions will be done by hand and no aircraft will be used. Conditions will be monitored closely before, during, and after any ignitions. The fire will be monitored until declared out.

During ignitions, Hall Ranch will be closed. The park will open again once ignitions are complete, and fire managers deem it safe to do so.

  • A burn window set for Oct. 13 – Dec. 20. Burns can occur any time during the window.
  • Burn operations are usually scheduled for one to three consecutive days.
  • Park will be closed during ignition days and will reopen when deemed safe and if not otherwise closed due to muddy conditions.
  • Smoke and flames may be visible for up to 72 hours after a controlled burn. There may be heavy smoke in the air. Please do not call 911 since a controlled burn is not an emergency. The areas will be monitored to ensure fires are completely out.

Email and Text Alerts

Sign up to be notified by email and/or text of upcoming prescribed burns. Notifications and corresponding park closures will be sent at least 24 hours prior to ignition. Updates will be sent out as conditions warrant.

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Informational Video

Fire Management Officers talk about what goes into planning a prescribed burn, including the safety measures and environmental factors that must be met before a prescribed fire can take place.

Text Transcript

Staffing

Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Wildland Fire Management, along with numerous local and federal fire departments, conduct prescribed burns. The project areas are well contained by trails and roads, and fire hoses and fire engines will completely surround the area during the duration of the burns. Firefighting resources will remain on site until the fire is out or controlled by weather conditions.

Benefits of Prescribed Fire

  • Reduces hazardous fuels, protecting human communities from extreme fires.
  • Minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease.
  • Removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem.
  • Provides habitat for foraging wildlife.
  • Improves habitat for threatened and endangered species.
  • Recycles nutrients back to the soil.
  • Promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants.

Smoke Issues

  • Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. Learn how to protect your health from wood smoke.
  • During a prescribed burn, smoke is generated and will drift according to wind currents and other atmospheric conditions.
  • Smoke could settle in areas at night when cooler air traps the smoke particles closer to the surface of the ground.
  • Smoke will be visible from Foothills Highway, Lyons, Boulder, Estes Park, Longmont, Fort Collins, Loveland and possibly east to I-25.
  • Children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease are more likely to be effected by smoke.
  • Close windows and stay indoors if you are concerned.

After the Burn

  • Residual smoke may be visible.
  • Firefighting resources will remain on the prescribed burn until the fire is confirmed as being controlled by significant weather conditions or determined to be out.
  • There are also monitoring plots for important data gathering. These plots were studied before the fire, and researchers will return after the fire to document scientific changes.

Contact Us

Parks & Open Space

prescribedfire@bouldercounty.gov