Grand Lake and Grand Fire’s joint wildland division has been working this winter to reduce wildfire risk in Grand County by preforming pile burns, a type of prescribed fire where firefighters stack and burn forest debris.

The joint division has burned around 1,000 slash piles since November 2024.

The piles are made up of debris left after fuel-reduction projects that involve thinning or cutting of trees in a forest. These piles can only be safely ignited under favorable weather conditions, which help to disperse smoke and provide enough snow cover to contain the fire.

Prescribed fires are an important tool used by officials for decreasing fire risk to communities, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Grand Fire Special Operations Chief Tyler Campbell said about 140 man-hours have been put into the operation and an estimated 1,600 piles are still left to be burned.

The Grand County Open Lands, Rivers and Trails fund approved funding to assist with pile burning operations. During the fall grant cycle, the division applied for funding from the committee and received $90,000 to implement a pilot pile burn project.

Campbell explained that the division was awarded $60,000 from the fund, which requires a $30,000 match for a total of $90,000. The matching funds are expected to come from donations from homeowners, Grand Fire and various pending grant requests, Campbell said.

“We are no stranger to prescribed fire and pile burning, but this is the first time we have implemented such a large-scale project,” Campbell said. Open Lands, Rivers and Trails “funding is crucial for this scope and scale of project.”

The crews kicked off 2025 by burning more than 100 slash piles in the Winter Park Highlands area on Granby Ranch property Jan. 2.

Crews still have a lot of work ahead of them, according to Campbell. To stay updated with burn projects, the fire department encourages residents and visitors to check Grand Fire and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office social media pages for the most up-to-date information.

“Burn windows are often short and sneak up on us,” Campbell said. “We try to provide as much heads up to the public as possible, but it is often the day-of that we get the green light to burn.”