Managers at Carson National Forest are seeking public comment on a proposed forest management project aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health across a large portion of the forest’s east side.
The Truchas to Upper Costilla Headwaters Active Management Project would include prescribed fire, fuels reduction, timber stand improvement, aspen and meadow maintenance, and post-fire ecosystem management. The project covers portions of the Camino Real and Questa ranger districts.
Forest managers said the work is intended to protect forest stands, watersheds, infrastructure and communities while restoring forests adapted to regular fire. Wildland-urban interface areas that have not received recent treatments would receive priority.
The proposed analysis covers all areas except designated wilderness that were not analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act as part of the recent Taos Canyon and McGaffey Ridge projects.
Areas overlapping with ongoing projects also would be incorporated into the proposal. Those projects include Kiowa-San Cristobal, Highway 150, Pueblo Ridge, Rio Trampas and Valle Vidal.
The proposal would bring projects approved under the Carson National Forest’s 1986 land management plan into consistency with the forest’s 2022 plan. That would move management toward updated objectives and desired conditions based on recent community input and the best available science.
In total, the analysis covers 382,874 acres for prescribed fire, with 104,822 acres overlapping areas identified for mechanical fuels-reduction treatments. Forest officials emphasized that treatment is not planned for every acre included in the analysis. Additional analysis of current and changing conditions on the ground would be used to determine where work takes place.
The proposal also includes temporary transportation system changes that would allow the use of more than 175 miles of roads, most of which are existing non-system roads with year-round vehicle restrictions. About eight miles of new roads would remain open to the public after the project is completed.
The draft environmental assessment, supporting documents and information on submitting comments are available at:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/carson/projects/377818
Public comments are due by Oct. 8, 2026.