Nov. 14 – Forest managers are taking advantage of recent snowfall to move forward with prescribed burn plans.
The ignitions are planned Friday at a pole fire in the Española Ranger District, in the 52-acre North Ridge Unit along Hyde Park Road and adjacent to the Black Canyon Campground. Firefighters expect the fire to be complete within one day.
Smoke may be visible from Santa Fe and adjacent areas. The US Forest Service recommends smoke-sensitive people take precautions during fire days.
Pile burns are intended to consume slash or cut branches and other debris 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 started Thursday at two locations near Cuba, including one location more than a mile southwest of the Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout ranch and another location near the Deer Lakes -community.
Closer to Jemez, the ignition began Thursday at a funeral pyre near the Seven Springs community and the State Fish Hatchery.
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.
