The Journal

Firefighters completed burns on three units for 836 acres on BLM Tres Rios Field Office managed lands.

Firefighters used drip torches to ignite the perimeter, and unmanned aircraft systems used plastic sphere dispensers for aerial ignition in the interior area of the burn units. The UAS drones was also used for reconnaissance and monitoring fire behavior, the Bureau of Land Management said in a news release.

Fire managers plan to burn an additional units for 452 acres the week of May 3. This burn is to reintroduce fire for vegetative health and reduce hazardous ground fuels to minimize the risk of large wildfire in the area.

The planned burns are part of a larger 15,000-acre project to reduce hazardous fuels, protect wildland-urban interface communities, improve big game habitats and range conditions and reintroduce fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem to restore healthy forests and species diversity.

While no road closures are expected during the project, camping near the units is discouraged due to increased traffic and likelihood of smoke in the area, particularly at night. Multiple days of burning may occur throughout the spring into summer and then again in the late summer into fall, as fuel conditions and weather permit. Project areas will be monitored once completed to ensure public safety.

For more information, visit www.wildcad.net/WCcodrc.htm or www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit.