BLM Plans Prescribed Burns Across Dolores, San Miguel Counties Through May

The Bureau of Land Management's Tres Rios Field Office is preparing to set intentional fires across two project areas in Dolores and San Miguel counties, with crews scheduled to begin ignitions April 15 or as weather conditions allow, running operations through May 2026.

The work spans two distinct landscapes. At the Dawson Project Area, which straddles the San Miguel-Dolores county line about 13 miles east-northeast of Dove Creek and 10 miles east of Egnar in Disappointment Valley, crews plan to treat up to 885 acres of pinyon, juniper, and mixed mountain shrub. Simultaneously, the West Dolores Rim Project Area, known locally as the East and North Pines and situated roughly seven miles east of Dove Creek, is set for up to 1,900 acres of ponderosa pine and Gambel oak burns.

A BLM Southwest District posting dated March 10, 2026 put the combined treatment figure at about 2,285 acres across the two counties, while the Tres Rios Field Office's own project-level materials list the two area maxima separately, totaling up to 2,785 acres. BLM has not publicly reconciled the difference between those figures.

The stated goals go beyond fire suppression. The agency lists reduction of hazardous fuels, protection of wildland-urban interface communities near Dove Creek and Egnar, improvement of big game and sage grouse habitat, better range conditions, and the broader restoration of a fire-adapted ecosystem among the objectives.

Tyler Corbin, acting BLM Fire Management Specialist, emphasized that the operations will follow closely controlled protocols. "Both project areas have detailed prescribed burn plans outlining specific parameters that must be met to ensure the burn is controlled successfully," Corbin said. "We will continue to monitor weather conditions and air quality to minimize the potential for smoke impacts on the health and safety of our communities and fire resources." The BLM has also obtained smoke permits from the Colorado State Air Pollution Control Division, which specify the atmospheric conditions under which ignitions can proceed.

The West Dolores Rim work is not new territory for Tres Rios crews. BLM supervisory fuels specialist James Savage pointed to nearly two decades of results in the area. "The West Rim project continues to be one of the BLM's greatest successes in reintroducing fire onto the landscape," Savage said. "BLM began implementing prescribed fire in the West Rim project area in 2008. After 16 years and thousands of acres treated, the BLM continues to see fantastic benefits for the timber stand, wildlife, and public land users, including reduced risk to homes, infrastructure, and resources."

Last spring, Tres Rios crews used a combination of hand and aerial ignitions to treat 977 acres of pine needle cast and mountain brush leaf litter within ponderosa pine stands along the West Dolores Rim. BLM says several of those units are already showing signs of improved habitat heading into this year's burn season.