Prescribed burns conducted last week by the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday and Friday in the McKinnis and Harrison Creek areas on Rabbit Ears Pass went “smoothly,” according to Hahns Peak/Bears Ears District Ranger Michael Woodbridge.

“I’m really happy with the results,” Woodbridge said. “We got a really great burn pulled off both days, really good fire effects… Everything went really smoothly.”

A news release issued by the Forest Service earlier this month and published by the newspaper had announced the burn plans, referred to as the Steamboat Front Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project.

In that news release, the Forest Service said it will provide notifications for the burns on the agency’s social media channels — @FS_MBRTB on the social platform X and @FSMBRTB on Facebook. 

According to Woodbridge, Thursday and Friday were “perfect conditions” but wind conditions also significantly impact the Forest Service’s ability to conduct a prescribed burn.

About 120-200 acres of land were burned last week to primarily reduce fuels in areas like the U.S. Highway 40 corridor and developed areas with structures, according to Woodbridge.

The Forest Service may return to the area of the prescribed burns to follow up on wildfire prevention efforts if conditions allow, he added.

“We may or may not get that opportunity again,” said the forest ranger. “But we got almost all the burning we wanted to do in that area … Right now, we’re happy with the coverage we got.”

A similar burn project was performed between 2017 and 2019 and again in 2022. This year, the project aims to treat roughly 300 acres, according to the Forest Service.

In an interview Monday, Woodbridge said the Forest Service utilizes a “mosaic” burning practice during the operation, which helps keep heat temperatures low to better control the burn.

The work helps reduce the threat of wildfires to nearby communities and structures, according to the release, with minimal and managed smoke from prescribed fires helps prevent the potential for unpredictable and hazardous wildfire smoke in the future. 

During the burn operations, the Forest Service also uses an unmanned aircraft system, or, UAS, to map the area and monitor the burns. The drone system is equipped with an infrared camera and drop ignition technology that ignites fire through a chemical reaction.

“I was really happy with utilizing the UAS to do that work,” he said. “It made everything go that much better and allowed us to cover a lot more ground.”

According to Woodbridge, the Forest Service focused on areas close to U.S. 40 on Thursday, then moved the burns north near Storm Mountain Ranch.

The southwestern slopes in the valley get the most sun and dry out the quickest. They also consist of oak brush — a primary target during last weeks burn-work, added Woodbridge, who said there’s still snow surrounding the conifers in the area, which makes for good conditions for prescribed burns.

As a part of the Steamboat Front Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project project, which aims to reduce hazardous fuels adjacent to Steamboat Springs in the wildland urban interface through forest management, the prescribed burns occur when weather allows.

The burn work also benefits wildlife by providing more food sources and improving wildlife habitats by regenerating shrubs and aspen trees.

“These are places that should have fire and haven’t had it in a while,” said Woodbridge. “It’s good to reintroduce fire into those habitats.”

While prescribed burns help wildfire mitigation, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue Chief Chuck Cerasoli urges community members to be cautious while conducting agricultural burns on their property.

“People should be paying attention to the weather and making sure that they’re not burning on a red flag day or a high wind day,” Cerasoli said. “They should have enough resources to manage the burn themselves, and if they feel like the burn is starting to get out of their control, they should call us sooner than later.”

Cerasoli also emphasized the importance of calling Routt County Communications dispatch to inform them of an agricultural burn before it starts.