City to Conduct Prescribed Agricultural Burns Today in North Boulder and East Boulder

Today, the City of Boulder is hoping to conduct a number of prescribed agricultural ditch burns (weather and resource permitting) in the following general locations. Community members may notice smoke coming from the areas but should not call 911 on these burns as they are not an emergency.

North Boulder

• Near IBM, south of 52 and between Hwy 119 and North 71 Street
• In the area of North Foothills Hwy and Nebo Road (further north)
• In the area of Ouray Drive and Oxford Road (further north)

East Boulder

• South of Jay Rd and East of 63 Street (north of Valmont)
• South of Arapahoe Road (north of Baseline) in the 8000 block area of open space
• South of Valmont Road, east of North 75 Street and west of Melissa Lane
• In the area east of North 75 Street near Valmont Road

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

Prescribed burning in agricultural ditches removes vegetation from important irrigation infrastructure and helps control plant growth and invasive weed species.

As a reminder, Boulder and our partner agencies schedule prescribed burns with significant consideration of multiple requirements. 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. These 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. Learn more about the city’s prescribed burning at bouldercolorado.gov/services/prescribed-burning

The city encourages all community members to clean up debris such as pine needles, branches, and leaves from around their property to create better defensible space against wildfires. Please use a green waste disposal opportunity to get rid of the debris from your private property. Learn more about how you can contribute to the city’s wildfire resilience efforts at bouldercolorado.gov/WildfireReady.