Prescribed burns are planned for national forests in New Mexico
By KOAT Staff
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Hamilton Kahn (KOAT) — With ideal conditions for prescribed burns likely, New Mexico’s National Forests will do what they can to reduce the risk of wildfires when the weather gets hotter and drier later this year.
The Cibola National Forest and Grasslands began prescribed burns Monday, Jan. 26, in the Magdalena Ranger District and Mountainair Ranger District.
Fifty acres of pile burns in the Magdalena District were completed Monday and, with necessary approval, continued Tuesday, Jan. 27. The project area includes 704 acres adjacent to the communities of Hop and Pastterson Canyon. Smoke may be visible from Alamo and Magdalena.
In the Mountainair District on Monday, 100 acres of piles were burned. No more fires were planned there for this week. The project area is in the Gallinas Mountains in Torrance County southeats of Willard and 15 miles northwest of Corona.
The Lincoln County National Forest has planned two prescribed burns in the Smokey Bear Ranger District from Thursday, Jan. 29, through Saturday, Feb. 1, contingent on favorable conditions and approval.
The Ruidoso prescribed burns will be for piles on 10 acres around the Ruidoso lookout tower, and the McBride burn — also 10 acres — will be within the McBride Fire burn scar.
During the Lincoln Forest burns, smoke may be in the communities of Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Hondo Valley and Alto.
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