Weather and fire conditions permitting

Please note: Wilderness Ranger District will ignite slash piles at Copperas area near Highway 15 today, Jan. 4, 2024. Other Grant County plans listed below.

SILVER CITY, NM, January 4, 2024 – The Gila National Forest is continuing to implement a number of prescribed fires in the coming weeks as desired weather and fire conditions permit.

“The primary purpose of these activities is to reduce hazardous fuels near community values at risk,” said Gila National Forest Supervisor Camille Howes. “The national Wildfire Crisis Strategy demands a dramatic increase in the pace, scale, and quality of forest treatments and prescribed fire in order to protect communities, infrastructure, and watersheds from catastrophic wildfire.”

Prescribed fire projects in the coming months may include pile burning and broadcast burning. In pile burning, fire is used to consume piled woody slash, requiring wetter or snowy conditions that help limit the chance for fire to spread beyond the piles. In broadcast burning, fire is applied across a predefined area of the landscape, requiring relatively dry fuels that are receptive to low- to moderate-intensity fire. In preparing for both pile and broadcast burning, firefighters ensure they will be able to take advantage of whatever appropriate wet or dry weather conditions occur.

Reserve Ranger District

• Reserve Slash Pit is located in Catron County between Reserve, New Mexico and Rancho Grande subdivision, west of New Mexico Highway 12 on National Forest System Road 578.

Smoke and firefighter activity may impact forest road access. If this occurs, road guards will be in place. Smoke will be visible in the area and may linger in the valley at night and early in the morning.

Quemado Ranger District

• Baca Slash Pit is located in Catron County, approximately 3 miles northeast of Quemado Lake on Forest Road 13D.
• Luna area slash piles – located in Catron county on 800 acres of Gila National Forest surrounding the community of Luna. These piles are the result of timber sales and fuel break construction.

Wilderness Ranger District

• Copperas slash piles are located approximately 7 miles south of Gila Hot Springs near New Mexico Highway 15 and Copperas Peak.

The following prescribed fire projects on the Wilderness, Glenwood, and Silver City ranger districts were previously announced, but have not yet been completed. They may proceed over the coming weeks and months as conditions allow:

• Lake Roberts area slash piles are located in Grant County about 16 miles northwest of Mimbres along New Mexico Highway 35.

• Pine Cienega slash piles are located in Grant County, off Brushy Mountain (Grant County Road 5-12), 23 miles southwest of Glenwood, NM.
• Pueblo Park Campground slash piles are located in Catron County on Pueblo Park Road (Catron County Road 13) about 20 miles north of Glenwood, NM.

• Pinos Altos Wildland Urban Interface broadcast burn project and the Arrastra unit are located in Grant County north of Pinos Altos, east and west of New Mexico Highway 15.
• Gomez Peak broadcast burn units located in Grant County north of Gomez Peak in Silver City.
• Little Cheery Creek slash piles located in Grant County about 2 miles north of Pinos Altos.
• Fort Bayard administrative site slash piles, located in Grant County about 6 miles east of Silver City.

Prescribed fire is one of the most effective methods available to reduce hazardous fuels and maintain our ecosystem within our National Forests and Grasslands. Over a century of scientific data has shown that when prescribed fires and other forest thinning projects are placed strategically on the landscape and around communities, wildfire behavior is less severe, and firefighters have a better and safer chance to stop the fire and minimize its impacts.

Smoke from the prescribed burns will be visible to the public, and signs will be posted in areas where prescribed fires are taking place. The Forest Service will coordinate with New Mexico Environment Department and follow smoke management guidelines. Air quality information and health protection measures are posted online at the New Mexico Fire Info website: NM Fire Info | Smoke Management. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211.