Agricultural ditch burns just south of the intersection of Ouray Drive and Oxford Road in north Boulder.
Today, the City of Boulder is conducting agricultural ditch burns just south of the intersection of Ouray Drive and Oxford Road in north Boulder. Community members may notice smoke coming from the area but should not call 911 on these burns as they are not an emergency.
Burn ignitions will begin after 11:00 a.m. and will stop before 3 p.m. When the city implements a prescribed burn, firefighters trained in preparing, lighting, and supervising prescribed fires manage a team of certified firefighting staff to oversee the burn. As a reminder, Boulder and our partner agencies schedule prescribed burns with significant consideration of multiple requirements.
The City of Bolder periodically conducts prescribed burns, weather and resource permitting, on open space, agricultural areas and water ditches to:
- Improve wildfire resiliency
- Improve open space forest and grassland ecosystem health
- Maintain agricultural water infrastructure
- Help control plant growth and invasive weed species
Burns are done with the assistance of City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, local fire protection districts, and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. The city encourages all community members to clean up debris such as pine needles, branches, and leaves from around their property during this year’s spring clean to create better defensible space against wildfires. Learn more at bouldercolorado.gov/WildfireReady.