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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.

Projects can occur any time from Oct. 1 through May 31. Crews were unable to burn on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and will try again on Thursday, Oct. 9.

Smoke comes off a burned ditch with a firefighter standing nearby

Agriculture Broadcast Projects

  • Cattails 1, 2, 3 (Superior)

    Bush (Coal Creek Dr) and Mayhoffer (McCaslin Blvd) properties.
    Tentatively Scheduled for Oct. 9
    These three ponds will be burned to reduce the amount of cattails and restore their function as sources of water for cattle.
    1.4, 0.17, 0.21 acres.

  • Research 1, 2 (Superior)

    Cohig (Coal Creek Dr) and Zaharias-Thomas (McCaslin Blvd and 128) properties.
    Tentatively Scheduled for Oct. 9
    Two units will be burned as part of a county-funded research project with the University of Colorado to look at variations in grassland fuels and mitigation strategies.
    1.4 acres, 0.9 acres.

  • Marfell Lakes (Lafayette/Erie)

    Arapahoe Rd. and 119th St.
    Two units will be burned to reduce the amount of cattails and increase the capacity of the lakes.
    20.4 acres, 10.9 acres.
    Marfell Lakes Map

  • Wambsganss (Erie)

    Niwot Rd. and E. County Line Rd.
    This project will remove vegetation from the ditch and adjacent field to improve water conveyance.
    14 acres.
    Wambsganss Map

  • Wheel (Longmont/Erie)

    Wheeler property (Hwy 52. and E. County Line Rd.)
    This project will reduce the amount of cattails for further maintenance on the culvert under Hwy 52 to improve water conveyance.
    5.9 acres.
    Wheel Map

  • Fairgrounds (Longmont)

    Boston Ave. and Hoover St.
    This project will remove cattails and improve the capacity of the stormwater-runoff catchment basin.
    0.44 acres.
    Fairgrounds Map

  • Cush (Longmont)

    Cushman (75th St. and Woodlawn)
    These three ponds will be burned to reduce the amount of cattails and restore their function as sources of water for cattle.
    0.7, 0.7, and 0.9 acres.
    Cush Map

Irrigation Ditch Projects

  • Cottonwood (Hygiene)

    Hwy 66 and N. 66th St.
    This project will remove vegetation from 14 field laterals to improve water conveyance.
    11,329 ft. total.

  • Gaynor Lake (Longmont)

    Hwy 287 and Mooring Rd.
    This project will reduce vegetation in the ditch and improve water conveyance.
    1,624 ft.
    Gaynor Lake Map

  • Lagerman (Longmont)

    N 67th St. and Pike Rd.
    This project will remove vegetation so that the ditch can be dug out to better convey water.
    2,638 ft.

  • Wittemyer Ponds (Longmont)

    Hwy 52. and E. County Line Rd.
    This project will reduce the amount of vegetation in the ditch to improve water conveyance.
    9,107 ft.
    Wittemyer Ponds Map

2024-25 Burn Projects

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

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.

Project can occur any time in the winter as snow conditions allow.

Slash Pile Burn Projects

  • Hall Ranch

    East of Ralph Price Reservoir.
    1,000+ piles that were constructed as part of the 2023 CoSWAP and 2024 HHR fuels reduction projects.

  • Overland

    Northwest of Jamestown.
    15 piles that were constructed in 2024 as part of a fuels reduction project.

  • Riverside Ranch

    South of Ralph Price Reservoir.
    3,000 to 4,000 piles that were constructed as part of the 2024 HHR fuels reduction project.

  • Reynolds Ranch

    Southeast of Nederland.
    20-30 piles that were constructed by Youth Corp in 2025 to thin out the regeneration in the patch cuts across the property.

  • Sherwood Gulch

    Northwest of Nederland.
    12 piles that were constructed in 2024 as part of a fuels reduction project implemented by the SO Fire Management Program.

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.

Ditch Wildfire Mitigation

The Ditch Wildfire Mitigation Program works to reduce wildfire risks along ditch corridors and waterways. These areas support wildlife and farming but can also spread fire if not properly managed.

Learn More

Contact Us

Parks & Open Space

prescribedfire@bouldercounty.gov