The San Juan National Forest on Friday reopened the Boggy Draw trail system after two days of prescribed burns Sunday and Monday.
Fire crews from the Dolores Ranger District treated roughly 1,500 acres outside Dolores, clearing ground after ahead of the upcoming fire season. The two-day effort reduces the risk of severe wildfires as summer draws closer.
After a fire, oak brush, grasses and forbs are expected to emerge from the soil, strengthening forest and soil health while the nutrient cycle swings into motion and attracts wildlife.
Forest staff warned visitors should expect to see lingering smoke and smoldering logs, and some flames may still be active.
“This is normal interior to the prescribed fire area. Margins of the burn area have been extinguished to ensure no vegetation is burning near firelines,” the San Juan National Forest wrote Friday in a post on Facebook, adding that crews have worked to clear hazards and debris from trails.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
