SFNF News:
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe and Carson national forests have been working this summer to provide free wood to community partners in areas affected by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire and related closures.
Eight local community-based entities entered into agreements with the Forest. More partners and volunteers stepped up to help deliver wood or host a community wood distribution site.
“We are trying to use all the tools available to us to provide fuelwood relief to communities during post-fire recovery,” Carson Forest Supervisor James Duran said, who is also the acting forest supervisor for Santa Fe National Forest. “I’m incredibly thankful to all the partners and volunteers who are making this happen to provide much-needed organization to help impacted community members get wood in preparation for this winter.”
One key agreement is with the State of New Mexico, through which the National Guard is delivering wood to sites. Deliveries began Wednesday to a site in Mora County and will continue throughout the month. Transportation of a large amounts of wood material is a considerable workload and cost, and the National Guard supporting the transportation as a training exercise is a huge benefit to communities who are a long distance away from where the wood was originally cut on the Carson National Forest.
“This year’s wildfires have upended the lives of northern New Mexicans, many of whom rely on the surrounding forests for their winter wood supply,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “I am grateful for the continued efforts of the National Guard, who have stood up time and time again to assist New Mexicans affected by fires and flooding. Thank you to the national forests for working with us to make this project a reality.”
Once the wood is delivered, each partner, which best understand the needs within its community, determines eligibility for fuelwood relief. Many sites are focusing on elderly and homebound residents.
It is asked that residents look at eligibility requirements before contacting sites, as they are volunteer run with limited capacity:
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- Mora County: County residents 60 years and older are eligible to pick up one cord of wood by appointment only. It is encouraged families bring help to load vehicles. Volunteers are also very much needed to help run this site. Eligible residents and potential volunteers should call Tobias Lovato at 575.387.2941.
- Moreno Valley (parts of Colfax and Mora counties): Valley residents in financial need for fuelwood relief can contact the United Church of Angel Fire to sign up for deliveries from the volunteer-run Firewood Angels group, which is also seeking new volunteers to help with this effort. Eligible residents and potential volunteers should call the church at 575.377.1559. Wood decking for this effort is being hosted by the Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails.
- San Miguel County: Luna Community College is working with the Forest Service to receive and process free firewood for county residents affected by the fire. In order to not overwhelm the college’s phone system, affected residents are asked to wait until an announcement is made before calling the college, which is volunteering to host and coordinate the wood for the community. An announcement is expected closer to October.
Other fuelwood relief partners include local land grants and pueblos that have or will be soon in touch with their members and/or communities. They include Picuris Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant, Truchas Land Grant and the Santa Barbara and Las Trampas land grants, which are working together.
Wood distribution is expected to continue through the fall season throughout Colfax, Mora, San Miguel and Taos counties in an attempt to support traditional cultural communities that had limited access and lost wood supplies to the catastrophic Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire.
In addition to these partnership wood sites, the Santa Fe and Carson national forests are offering free-use wood permits for districts on the east side of the Forests.
