As officials with Carson National Forest work to mitigate extreme wildfire risk in northern New Mexico, they want the community to be aware of upcoming projects to reduce panic, should a plume of smoke be visible, all while keeping residents informed.
“The prescribed fire project work is an important part of protecting our water sources and ensuring that we do our best to mitigate wildfire risk to communities,” said Carson National Forest Supervisor James Duran. “I am proud of our team, which is working to continually find opportunities to return fire to landscapes across the forest.”
If you would like to be notified of planned prescribed burns and fire projects, the forest service provides several ways you can stay informed:
- You can request to be added to the email release list by emailing your request to: mailroom_r3_carson@usda.gov with your request to be added
- Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the Alerts & Closures page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/carson/alerts-notices to see current conditions and closures before venturing out into the forest
- You can check Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ before heading out. Operational updates during prescribed fires are posted to InciWeb
- Prescribed fire notices are also posted to forest social media (facebook.com/CarsonNF, twitter.com/CarsonNF) and New Mexico Fire Information at https://nmfireinfo.com/
According to a release sent by Carson National Forest, prescribed fire burns increase forest health and reduce the threat of fire to communities and watersheds. Carson National Forest fuels planners work to determine the exact timing of each project, or the decision to postpone to a later season, depending upon weather, site conditions and available personnel.
The release goes on to note that fire managers, in conjunction with meteorologists, will track dozens of parameters before, during, and after each project to ensure they are conducted safely and monitored until the fires are called out.
“Successful timeframes for these types of projects are a balancing act, which is why it’s entirely possible some or none of these projects move forward this spring,” said Carson National Forest Fire Management Officer Brent Davidson. “The fuels can’t be too wet or too dry, the wind can’t be too strong or too light, the humidity can’t be too high or too low.”
