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Boulder County Parks and Open Space conducted a prescribed burn on
Heil Valley Ranch
on October 30.
October 31 Update:
The burn took place on October 30 and we met all
of the objectives that we set forth for this project. The conditions
were ideal yesterday and the precipitation did come last night in the
form of snow on the burn. The Sheriff's Office Fire Crew will continue
to mop-up this afternoon until 16:00 and they will be back in the
morning. We are mopping up 100% 100 feet around the perimeter. We will
be letting the interior tree islands smolder to minimize disturbance
created during the mop-up operation. So, you can expect to see possible
smokes on the interior for up to a week or so.
October 29 Update:
A burn is now tentatively scheduled for tomorrow,
October 30, weather permitting. Park will be closed for the day and
re-opened on Wednesday, October 31. October 25 Update:
Boulder County Parks and Open Space has cancelled
today's prescribed burn at Heil Valley Open Space due to air pollution
restrictions.
The department will not attempt the prescribed burn in the next few
days; the open space is open to park visitors today and through the
weekend.
The controlled burn is tentatively scheduled to take place at Heil
Valley Ranch Open Space next week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (Oct
29 - Oct 31). We will keep you updated as we learn more about
weather conditions.
October 24 Update:
The forestry staff has determined that Thursday,
October 25, will be the most ideal day to burn and meet our objectives.
Friday and Saturday will be too cool and moist for burning, but will
have ideal post-burn conditions after burning on Thursday.
Heil Valley Ranch will be closed on Thursday,
October 25, and open on Friday morning and for the weekend.
October 22 Update:
The site received significant moisture on October
14, which has set the burn back a bit. We held a walkthrough on Friday
to evaluate field conditions. The duff moisture has increased
significantly and we are waiting to see if it continues to dry. The live
tree fuel moisture has increased slightly as well. There was also still
some "green" in the understory present as of Friday.
The cold night Sunday night and the cold
expected Monday night should officially end the growing season. This
will help to meet our objectives with the understory.
We are tentatively looking to burn this
Friday, October 26, at the earliest. The weather looks as if it will
cooperate the rest of the period with normal to slightly above normal
temps and normal to below normal precipitation, with a trend towards a
cooler and wetter period from October 31 through November 4. The park will be closed during active ignition periods but will
reopen during the monitoring, which will last for a minimum of one week.
The proposed burn area is approximately 40 acres in size in Geer
Meadows. Fire is being used as a management tool on the property to
reduce duff and litter accumulation around mature Ponderosa pine trees,
burn encroaching Ponderosa pine seedlings and saplings in the meadows
and to reintroduce fire into a fire-dependant ecosystem. Boulder County
Sheriff’s Office and other Wildland Fire Agencies will assist.
While the prescribed burn is in progress, there may be heavy smoke in
the air, as well as reduced visibility. It is advised that neighbors
keep their windows closed, pets indoors, and /or arrange to be elsewhere
during that time.
There will be a public meeting, geared toward neighbors of HVR, held on
October 8 at 7:00 pm in the Boulder County Parks and Open Space
building located at 5201 St. Vrain Rd between 75th and Airport Rd in
Longmont.
If you have any comments or concerns, please contact Chad Julian at
303-678-6202. Check back here for updates as the date gets closer.
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