Colorado firefighters will light intentional fires across more than 2,000 acres of the White River National Forest starting as early as next week, the first big push of controlled burning in one of the country’s most visited national forests this spring.
The U.S. Forest Service says the four separate projects are urgently needed to thin overgrown brush and small trees that have piled up after decades of fire suppression, creating dangerous fuel loads just miles from mountain towns like Vail, Edwards, and Rifle.
These burns are the strongest tool officials have to keep the next mega-fire from racing toward homes.
Why the Forest Service Is Burning Right Now
Spring is the only safe window in many parts of Colorado. Enough snow has melted to let crews work, but the ground is still damp enough to keep flames from running out of control.
Forest Service officials told local media this week that soil moisture and fuel conditions are “ideal” in most units after an unusually wet April and early May across the central Rockies.
The White River National Forest has not conducted large-scale prescribed fires in some of these areas for more than 20 years. Small trees and brush now choke slopes that once burned naturally every 10 to 30 years.
“We are playing catch-up after a century of putting out every fire,” said Lisa Stoeffler, fuels specialist for the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District. “These projects are about giving the forest a chance to heal itself before the next lightning strike does it for us.”
The Four Burn Projects You Need to Know
Crews have laid out four separate operations totaling roughly 2,100 acres:
- Battlements Fire (near Rifle): 800 acres of pinyon-juniper and sagebrush on steep slopes above the Colorado River corridor. Smoke may drift into Rifle and Silt on certain wind days.
- Booth Creek (north of Vail): 450 acres of lodgepole pine and aspen just outside the Eagles Nest Wilderness boundary. This unit sits directly above Interstate 70 and could produce visible smoke columns for drivers.
- Braderich Creek (near Redstone): 500 acres along the Crystal River valley, one of the most scenic and heavily photographed areas in the state.
- Muddy Sheep (north of Edwards): 350 acres of mixed conifer on the flanks of the Gore Range, close to popular hiking and biking trails.
All four projects will be lit only when temperature, humidity, and wind line up perfectly. Each burn could be postponed or canceled up to the very last minute.
Heavy Smoke Expected in Valleys and Along I-70
People who live in or travel through the Eagle Valley, Roaring Fork Valley, and Colorado River corridor should plan for several days of thick smoke this month.
The Forest Service says the heaviest smoke will settle into valleys at night and early morning before lifting by midday. Drivers on Interstate 70 between Vail and Glenwood Springs may hit patches of low visibility.
Turn on headlights, slow down, and don’t stop on the highway to take pictures.
Air quality monitors in Aspen, Carbondale, and Eagle already recorded “moderate” days this week from distant fires in Arizona and New Mexico. Local prescribed burns will push readings into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on some days.
People with asthma or heart conditions should keep windows closed and limit outdoor activity on heavy smoke days.
Trail Closures and Safety Perimeters
Large sections of popular recreation areas will be closed for up to a week at a time.
Booth Creek Trail, parts of the North Trail system above Vail, and several Forest Service roads near Redstone will be off-limits while crews are working.
Firefighters will patrol each burn area for days afterward, mopping up hot spots and watching for any spot fires outside the planned boundaries.
The Forest Service stresses that every one of these projects has been planned for years, with hand crews already cutting brush and building control lines all winter.
A Small Price for Long-Term Protection
These controlled fires will remove the thick understory that turned the 2020 Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires into monsters.
By clearing ladder fuels now, firefighters hope to keep future wildfires on the ground instead of letting them climb into tree crowns and explode.
One day of planned smoke is worth a summer of not evacuating.
Residents who have lived through the Grizzly Creek Fire shutdown of I-70 in 2020 or the mandatory evacuations in Redstone during the Lake Christine Fire in 2018 understand the stakes.
The Forest Service is asking for patience while they do the hard, smoky work of making the forest safer for everyone.
What do you think about lighting fires on purpose to save the forest? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and if you’re sharing on social media, use #WhiteRiverRxFire so others can follow the conversation.
