Aztec Springs Prescribed Burn Scheduled for January

Contact: Greg Gallegos, 505-231-3163, gdgallegos@santafenm.gov; Porfirio Chavarria, 505-660-3732, pnchavarria@santafenm.gov

Santa Fe, NMThe City of Santa Fe Fire Department and The Forest Stewards Guild are convening a prescribed pile burn on city land near the municipal watershed in January 2017 weather dependent.  The burn will be contingent on wind, relative humidity, temperature, and expected weather patterns. This work is part of the Fire Department’s mission to reduce risk to lives and property from wildfire. It is also part of The Nature Conservancy’s Fire Learning Network (http://goo.gl/cJwjBh) and the Fire Adapted Community Learning Network (https://fireadaptednetwork.org/) and is within the larger Greater Santa Fe Fireshed, designed to promote fire adapted communities and reduce wildfire risk.  Pile burning is often part of reducing hazardous fuels and is needed to reduce the heat, intensity, and spread of a future potential wildfire.

Firefighter and community safety is the top priority for the burn.  The burn will use experienced and qualified firefighters. The team will follow an approved burn plan, comply with New Mexico Air Quality Bureau smoke management guidelines, and have wildland firefighting equipment on-site.  Smoke will be visible and may settle into surrounding area at night but should disperse the following day.  The team will work to minimize smoke impacts to communities by visually monitoring smoke.

“The Fire Department works with homeowners, neighborhoods, and many partners to reduce risk to the residents of Santa Fe.” noted Fire Department Wildland Superintendent Greg Gallegos.  “We are working here because it is important for the landowners, the community, and the health of our watershed that we safely reduce these hazardous fuels.”

The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed is a 107,000 acre designated area critical to the wellbeing of Santa Fe and surrounding communities.  A Coalition comprised of organizations and individuals are working to improve the ecological condition and resilience.  To learn more, visit: http://www.santafefireshed.org/

Landowners interested in learning more about the Fire Adapted Communities can visit www.fireadaptednm.org, a website designed by the Forest Stewards Guild and Fire Service Support LLC for the New Mexico Hub of the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. 

During the burn period, information regarding the project can be obtained by calling 505-231-3163 or visiting http://www.santafefireshed.org/events/