Officials are planning on conducting pile burning operations in the Mesa Cortina open space west of Silverthorne and the B&B Mines open space north of French Gulch Road in Breckenridge this winter.

Burn operations will take place during days where there is at least 6 inches of snow on the ground and a forecast that suggests the snow will stick on the ground for at least 48 hours following the burn. Specific burn days will be announced on Summit County’s social media pages and through Summit County Alert when conditions are favorable.

Summit County will coordinate burning operations at the B&B Mines open space with the U.S. Forest Service, which is also planning burning operations on its portion of the project this winter.

These pile burning projects are funded by the Summit County 1A “Strong Future” fund along with Denver Water’s Forest to Faucets program. The work is being conducted in partnership between Summit County Open Space and Trails, town of Breckenridge, the Ember Alliance, the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control, and the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District.

Community members who are sensitive to smoke are encouraged to vacate the area on burn days if possible. For those unable to leave, smoke exposure can be minimized by keeping windows and doors closed and using a portable air filtration unit. Smoke-sensitive residents can sign up for individual notifications of upcoming burn days by contacting Mead at 970-668-4065 or at jordan.mead@summitcountyco.gov.

For more information on the pile-burning operations, visit SummitCountyCo.gov/1316/mesa-cortina-hazardous-fuels-reduction.

The Forest Service this week also is continuing pile burning operations in the Keystone Gulch area.