Prescribed burn on Animas City Mountain in Durango planned for October

Prescribed burn on Animas City Mountain in Durango planned for October

The BLM expects the prescribed burn to occur and take place over two to three days and to burn up to 652 acres. The BLM intends to ignite the burn units using a combination of ground and aerial resources and will patrol the burn until extinguished. To ensure public and firefighter safety during project implementation, there will be a brief closure of Animas City Mountain, including City trailheads/access points because the BLM expects to use designated trails as containment lines.

"Prescribed fire is one of many tools firefighters use to remove dense vegetation that contributes to catastrophic wildfires," said Supervisory Fuels Specialist James Savage. "We have conducted mechanical treatments and pile burning on Animas City Mountain from 2008-2012, and now the best tool for reducing fuels is prescribed fire. We are grateful for the support of the Durango community as we work with local stakeholders to complete this project which will help improve ecosystem resiliency, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce the potential for catastrophic fire on BLM managed public lands."

Prescribed fire mimics natural processes but under certain weather and vegetative conditions, improves forage for wildlife, increases plant diversity by creating breaks in the understory where grasses and flowers can thrive, and effectively reduces hazardous fuel while enhancing woodland health.

The project is part of the BLM's ongoing commitment to protect human health and safety while maintaining or enhancing forest and woodland health and functionality. To make this project a success, the BLM is in close coordination with the federal, county, and local government as well as non-governmental organizations, emergency managers, fire departments, public health officials, and state smoke regulators.

More information on the Animas City Mountain prescribed fuels treatment is available online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7688/, and for the most up-to-date information on wildland fire/prescribed burns in the Southwest District, you can follow our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit or Twitter https://twitter.com/SWD_Fire

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.