Nov. 14 – Forest managers are taking advantage of recent snowfall to move forward with prescribed burn plans.
Ignitions are planned Friday at burn piles in the Española Ranger District, in the 52-acre North Ridge Unit along Hyde Park Road and adjacent to the Black Canyon Campground. Fire officials expect the burns to be completed within one day.
Smoke may be visible from Santa Fe and adjacent areas. The US Forest Service recommends that smoke-sensitive people take precautions.
Burning poles is intended to consume slash (sawn branches and other waste collected during forest thinning), in an effort to reduce the amount of fuel that could fuel forest fires.
By the end of this week, southwesterly winds are expected to improve smoke spread, according to a Forest Service news release.
“This means we have a few favorable days for burning late this week, followed by another round of accumulating snow in the mountains early next week,” Forest Service meteorologist Kerry Jones said in a news release.
To take advantage of the favorable weather, ignition was initiated Thursday at a location near Cuba, near the Deer Lakes community.
An ignition was scheduled for Thursday at a pole fire near the Seven Springs community, but the Santa Fe National Forest announced later in the day that it had been postponed and that resources would be shifted to the 43-acre triangle that had been mandated near the community of La Cueva. , adjacent to forest roads 376 and 604. Ignition was expected to begin Saturday.
Ignition was also expected to begin Saturday in the Coyote Ranger District.
The Forest Service will hold an open house Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Coyote Ranger District Office, 20 Private Drive 1707 in Coyote, where fire managers will be available to answer questions about upcoming pole burning projects tentatively planned at the ranger. district.
Once fire locations and dates are confirmed, the Santa Fe National Forest will post information on its website, www.fs.usda.gov/santafe, and on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/santafeNF. Information about prescribed burns will also be posted on the New Mexico Fire Information website, nmfireinfo.com.
