Pile burning to reduce wildfire hazard highlighted in article from the Santa Fe New Mexican

Photo by Matt Dahlseid of The New Mexican

The Santa Fe New Mexican recently published an article by Robert Nott that discusses the ongoing pile burning at Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe. By burning piles during winter, the park intends to remove fuels that could add to the intensity of a wildfire if one occurred during fire season. The article highlights views from local Forest Service officials, the Sierra Club, and the Wild Earth Guardians regarding the practice.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/forest-officials-say-leftover-piles-of-wood-could-pose-danger/article_6a5c69fc-1b7b-11ea-bf8b-2fe1526c2850.html

Prescribed Pile Burns Planned on Española Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest

Check out a HEPA Filter

These filters are available during periods of wildfire and prescribed fire smoke impacts in the Fireshed area to individuals that are sensitive to smoke. We have a small amount of portable air cleaners that will filter the air in a large room such as a living room or bed room. These will be distributed on a first come- first served basis for predetermined time periods. You will need to provide contact info and come to the Forest Stewards Guild office in Santa Fe to sign for the filter and pick it up.  Please look over the HEPA Air Filter Check-Out Contract.

To check out a HEPA Filter contact Sam Berry at sam@forestguild.org or by calling 505-983-8992

SANTA FE, NM – Nov. 21, 2019 – Fire managers on the Española Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) plan to implement prescribed pile burns to remove woody debris from the Pacheco Canyon and Hyde Park fuels reduction projects as early as Dec. 5 if conditions, including snow pack, fuel moisture levels, air quality, wind direction and weather forecasts, remain favorable.

Winter is an optimal time to burn slash piles because snow on the ground keeps the fire from spreading to adjacent vegetation. The 150-acre Pacheco Canyon pile burn is off Forest Road 102 east of Tesuque Pueblo, and the 140-acre Hyde Park pile burn is near Black Canyon Campground off NM State Road 475, the road to the Santa Fe ski basin.

Generally, pile burns produce less smoke and burn with less intensity than broadcast burns across a larger landscape. Smoke from the pile burns may be visible from Santa Fe, Tesuque, Nambe, Los Alamos and Pojoaque as well as the I-25 and US 285/84 corridors.

Fire managers are also looking for an opportunity in 2020 to reschedule the previously announced prescribed burn in the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed to treat up to 350 acres north of Nichols Reservoir near Granite Point with hand and aerial ignitions.

The Santa Fe Watershed prescribed burn is specifically designed to improve and protect the 17,384-acre Municipal Watershed, which provides more than 40% of the water for the City of Santa Fe, by removing dead forest fuels and reducing the risk of high-intensity wildfire. Prescribed fire is always managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority.

The SFNF manages all 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 by using the 5-3-1 visibility method can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website at https://nmtracking.org/fire. People with health concerns can also call NMDOH at 505-827-0006 for additional information. For information on the HEPA filter loan program, go to https://facnm.org/smoke#smokeanchor5.

Fire updates are posted on the New Mexico Fire Information website at www.nmfireinfo.com, www.facebook.com/SantaFeNF and Twitter @SantafeNF.

For more information, contact the Española Ranger Station at 505-753-7331.

New fireshed signage at Big Tesuque trailhead!

Next time you decide to hike the Big Tesuque trail, stop and check out the new fireshed sign at the trailhead. This sign is a result of a collaboration between the Fireshed Communications team, the Forest Stewards Guild, the City of Santa Fe Fire Department, and the Santa Fe National Forest to provide more education about the fireshed and local fire ecology to the public.

This trailhead is located within the Santa Fe National Forest and is a great spot to hike from mid-elevation ponderosa, white pine and oak into higher elevation spruce and firs. The fire regimes of these two distinct forest types differ from one another and thus are treated differently from a restoration perspective. The trailhead sign explains these ecological foundations and speaks to fire’s important role in each ecosystem.

This trail winds through the upper reaches of the watershed above the village of Tesuque. This is an important area for forest health since healthier forests = clean water!

If you have out of town guests and they are interested in hiking in the forest, send them to this sign at the Big Tesuque trailhead to help ground them in the ecology of the landscape before their hike.

Enjoy recreating in your public lands within the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed!

Two Fireshed Events October 15th: Viewing of Spanish Firefighting Film and Smoked Beer Release!

The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition is proud to announce two events on October 15th, 2019

Uno de los Nuestros, film showing and panel discussion with Spanish firefighters about wildfire in Spain

October 15th, 2019, 6:00 pm,

Center For Progress and Justice ,1420 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM  87505

Contact:   Sam Berry | sam@forestguild.org | 541 816 6371

The Forest Stewards Guild, The Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition, and the Nature Conservancy of New Mexico is pleased to bring Uno de los Nuestros to Santa Fe. This is a free event.

Uno de los Nuestros is a film chronicling wildfire in Spain and the firefighters that engage them. How does nature respond to forest fires? What is society's response to forest fires? How do forest firefighters respond to social pressure and the dangers they face? 'Uno de los Nuestros' will help us understand resilience in both people and landscapes in Spain, a fundamental concept to understand the future of forest fires. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.

This event coincides with the Spanish Language TREX, an event that brings firefighters from across the Spanish Speaking world to Santa Fe to hone their prescribed fire skills. The film will be followed with a panel discussion with Spanish firefighters and other firefighters from across the world who are part of the TREX to compare wildfire across the world. The panel discussion will be hosted by Blanca Céspedes, a professor at Highlands University, and the panel will be in Spanish and translated to English.

View the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsZ7qqSWqyU

Prescribed Fire and Smoked Beer: Fall Beer Release Party

October 15th, 2019, 5:00 pm,

Chili Line Brewery , 204 N. Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NM  87505

Contact:   Gabe Kohler | Gabe@forestguild.org | 509-844-3048

Come join The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition and Chili Line Brewery in celebrating the release of a prescribed fire themed beer at this fall beer release party.

Healthy forests are essential for clean water and clean water makes great beer! Be among the first to try Chili Line’s new smoked brew, Stoked Rauchbier. Festivities will include an over-the-top dramatic uncorking (uncapping?) of the beer, live music by local band Controlled Burn, and fall games. The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition is a community group that that shares your love of forests, clean water, and tasty beer. This is a great chance to talk with a group of outdoor enthusiasts and learn about some of the watershed protection work going on in the forests surrounding Santa Fe.

GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR LANDOWNERS

SANTA FE-POJOAQUE SOIL and WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

is offering a

PRIVATE, TRIBAL AND NON-FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDOWNERS

Discussing possible defensible space options for structures at Camp Stoney, located in the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed.

For the purposes of completing:

Defensible Space thinning around structures within the Hyde Park and Tesuque Corridors, and other areas within the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed.

The grant funding is specifically for Wildland/Urban Interface areas within the Fireshed. This funding is a cost-share program between the Santa Fe-Pojoaque Soil and Water Conservation District and eligible landowners. Additional information is available on our website. Fill out a Landowner Request For Assistance Form and download a map of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed.

Program Contact: José Varela López at (505) 660-5828.