Glorieta Camps Winter Season Prescribed Burning Planned To Improve Forest Health And Reduce Wildfire Risk

Prescribed burns are planned as early as Jan. 11 at Glorieta Camps west of the village of Pecos. Courtesy photo

FSG News:

SANTA FE — Glorieta Camps, The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund and the Forest Stewards Guild (FSG) plan to take advantage of favorable conditions, including moisture levels, air quality, wind direction, and weather forecasts, and initiate prescribed burning at Glorieta Camps as early as Jan. 11.

Glorieta Camps is west of the village of Pecos. The burning will occur throughout the winter as conditions allow.

This burn will be implemented by the All Hands All Lands Burn Team’s Pile Squad, a program of the Forest Stewards Guild, which is a fully qualified team designed to implement pile burns.

In light of the pandemic the pile squad will be operating under comprehensive COVID safe practices and mitigations. Up to 55 acres of piles will be treated with hand ignitions by trained and qualified firefighters working under a burn boss within the parameters of an approved and permitted burn plan.

Due to pandemic, the squad will seek to ignite small quantities of piles over the winter season to reduce smoke volume. If favorable atmospheric conditions to disperse smoke exist, the squad will accelerate their pace. These actions are part of Glorieta Camps long-term and science-based commitment to improve forest health and reduce the risks wildfire poses to communities, forests, and watersheds.

Smoke and flames may be visible due to the proximity of the site to I-25 and Glorieta. Smoke may be visible from Pecos, La Cueva, and Eldorado. Smoke may settle into lower elevations and drainages overnight but should lift by mid-morning.

The Forest Stewards Guild works closely with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) to monitor air quality during and limit the severity of smoke impacts.

This burn had been planned for March 2019 and February 2020, but was postponed due to poor atmospheric ventilation that would have caused unwanted smoke impacts on communities and roads.

This prescribed burn is happening in the context of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition landscape. The Fireshed Coalition supports a HEPA Filter Loan Program so that smoke sensitive individuals can borrow a filter for the duration of the impacts. More information is here.

  • To find out more and stay up to date, visit here.
  • More information on smoke, human health, and a HEPA Filter Loan Program can be accessed here.
  • Learn more about Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico Learning Network at www.facnm.org.

The Burn Team is supported by an agreement between The Nature Conservancy and USDA Forest Service.

The Forest Stewards Guild is an equal opportunity provider.

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