Pacheco Canyon Prescribed Burn

Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) took advantage of optimal conditions to conduct the Pacheco Canyon prescribed burn on the Española Ranger District this week.

The 550-acre prescribed burn is part of the larger Pacheco Canyon Forest Resiliency Project, a 2,042-acre forest restoration project that was instrumental in keeping the lightning-caused Medio Fire from crossing Forest Road (FR) 102 and threatening significant values at risk, including the Santa Fe ski basin and municipal watershed. The Pacheco Canyon treatment area along FR 102 helped firefighters contain the 2020 Medio Fire, at approximately 4,000 acres.

Each prescribed burn is designed to meet specific objectives and will be managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority. The Pacheco Canyon prescribed burn, approximately 6 miles east of Tesuque Pueblo and 3 miles west of Ski Santa Fe, will protect communities by reducing the accumulation of hazardous fuels and decreasing the potential for severe wildfire.

Operations were successful. The Medio fire assured lines were held on the east side. On the west side, the fuels burnt as expected.  By late afternoon operations were complete on the east and west containment lines down to FR102. Firefighters finished mopping up by 7:30 pm on Easter day. Good fire was re-introduced to 547 acres.

Smoke management is a key part of the planning and implementation of prescribed burns. The SFNF manages prescribed fires in compliance with New Mexico state regulations on air quality and smoke management. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website. Information on the Forest Stewards Guild’s HEPA Filter Loan Program is available here.

 Photos courtesy of Tesuque Pueblo Environment and Natural Resources Department and the Forest Stewards Guild.

Esmé Cadiente

The GSFFC is a coalition of public and private organizations. The GSFFC is not a subdivision of the State of New Mexico, as defined in the state’s Open Meetings Act, §§ 10-15-1 to 10-15-4 NMSA 1978. Although federal agencies participate in the GSFFC, the Coalition is not a federal advisory board and was not created by a federal agency, as defined by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5.U.S.C. app. 2, §§ 1 to 16 (2012). The GSFFC operates informally to support its partners, and is not incorporated as a non-profit, 501(C)(3), partnership, or other legal status.