As News 13 found out, the unusually high temperatures are putting a damper on the usual burn schedule.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – We’re heading into the second week of October and for many national forests in our state, that means prescribed burn season should be in full swing; but, as KRQE News 13 found out, the unusually high temperatures are putting a damper on the usual burn schedule.
Story continues below
News: Parent raising concerns about ‘lock box’ cell phone policy at APS middle school
Balloon Fiesta: Why is Albuquerque the perfect place to hold the Balloon Fiesta?
Balloon Fiesta:A look at Balloon Fiesta through the decades: The 1980s
“We are amid a wildfire crisis across the west of the United States,” said Zach Behrens, Public Affairs Officer with the Carson National Forest. With recent summers of devastating wildfires, that’s a truth New Mexicans know all too well.
“Wildfire is a natural part of the landscape, so it just part of nature’s way of clearing out fuels and all of that,” said Amanda Fry, Public Affairs Officer with the Lincoln National Forest. However, experts say wildfires have become much more severe than they were 100 years ago. So, intentional fires called prescribed burns are meant to help nature along, safely.
“As part of our wildfire crisis strategy, we are looking to reduce the threat of wildfire by changing its behavior back to historical norms,” Behrens said. Getting the timing right is crucial to avoid prescribed burns from turning disastrous like the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in 2022.
Carson National Forest, stretching near Taos and Angel Fire, as well as Farmington, already has active prescribed burns underway. “Last week, we started the American Creek Prescribed Fire for about a thousand acres and that was near Tres Piedras,” Behrens said.
This time of year they’re targeting leaves, pine needles and other debris on the forest floor called an understory burn. Monday morning, they started another 2,000-acre prescribed fire near Rio Arriba County and have plans for more in the coming days.
However, other national forests in our state aren’t as active just yet: “We’re experiencing higher temperatures and lower relative humidity, as well as lower fuel moistures and soil moistures than what we would normally see right now coming into October,” said Matt Rau, the Fire, Fuels, and Aviation Staff Officer with the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands.
Because of that, Cibola National Forest has not been able to start planned fires near Mountainair and in the Sandia Ranger District. “Everything is still on track. I think we’re just going to be delayed a little bit,” Rau said.
It’s a similar story in the Santa Fe National Fores which has been able to complete a burn in the Jemez area late last month but is on standby for four other planned fires. “As a whole, in the forest, we’re just trying to hold and wait and see if conditions get any better for us,” said Josiah Salaz, fuels planner with the Santa Fe National Forest.
In the Lincoln National Forest, they’re also still in planning phases for their prescribed burns: “Each prescribed burn, while the planning may look different, we do follow that formula to determine: is it safe, is it feasible to move forward? Are we in a good window where we can have a successful prescribed fire?” Fry said.
The New Mexico State Forester told News 13 in a statement the prescribed burn schedule statewide is roughly the same as previous years; but, whether they are carried out depends on factors like the weather and fuel moisture conditions:
The schedule is roughly the same as previous years. Whether the prescribed burns are carried out depends on a number of factors with safety as the primary concerns. The factors include, but are not limited to, having sufficient resources available to manage the burn and available in a contingency, having the right weather, wind, and fuel moisture conditions to conduct the burn safely, and having good or better ventilation conditions so the prescribed burn smoke will dissipate. The Forest Service conducted two detailed reviews after the escaped prescribed burns in 2022 that led to the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire. The Forest Service has new policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of prescribed burns. The New Mexico Forestry Division promotes safe prescribed burning to reduce overgrown brush and trees that act as fuel for future wildfires. Burn managers need to be very safety conscious, and must carefully review the current environmental conditions and resource availability before they start the burn.
State Forester Laura McCarthy, New Mexico State Forestry Division, EMNRD …Read More