With winter weather looming and snow blanketing the state, Colorado is finally getting out of wildfire season and a summer of severe drought conditions. This means that it’s finally a little bit safer to conduct controlled burns around the state. If you see a smoke plume pop up, there’s a good chance that’s what it is.

Two controlled burn areas likely to be seen by many include controlled burns at Fort Carson, south of Colorado Springs, and controlled burns at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, outside of Denver. While the size of the controlled burns in Fort Carson aren’t listed, burns in Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge will near 2,000 acres.

A controlled burn is a method of fire control in which forest or grassland is burnt intentionally in a controlled situation to help prevent an uncontrolled wildfire situation down the road.

Note: While controlled burns will be popping up around the state during this time of the year, always check with your local news source and/or authorities if you see what appears to be an unmanaged wildfire.