News Release

Prescribed Burning Planned January 2023

A pile of branches is burning in the snow surrounded by trees

NPS

News Release Date: January 19, 2023

Contact: Dale Culver, 719-378-6321

Mosca, CO — The National Park Service plans to burn several piles of woody debris at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve with assistance from the U.S. Forest Service Rio Grande National Forest starting on Monday, January 23. The piles will only be burned if and when the ground and adjacent fuels are sufficiently wet from rain or snow, and these wet conditions are present until the burning is completed. 

The piles consist of dead woody material from previous hazard fuels reduction projects. This project reduces fuels around park infrastructure and park boundaries directly adjacent to the private land since this fuel load represents a wildland fire hazard within these areas. The project will reduce the threat of fire to private homes and help protect the plants, wildlife, and important resources in the park. The piles will be ignited by firefighters and monitored until they are completely out which may occur over the course of five days. Area residents and park visitors may see open flames and/or smell smoke in the vicinity of the park during the burn.

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

For more information on the National Park Service Wildland Fire Management Program, visit http://www.nps.gov/fire. To learn how you can reduce wildfire risk on your own property, please visit http://www.firewise.org. For information about the national park visit our website, http://www.nps.gov/grsa, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

For more information regarding the prescribed burn, contact Chief Ranger, Dale Culver at 719-588-2014.