By Glenn Griffin for The Grant County Beat, www.grantcountybeat.com

“Fire doesn’t observe boundaries, it goes where the fuel is, and that is Pinos Altos and that is why we are here,” explained Nick Smokaovich, silvaculturalist with the New Mexico State Forestry at the first fire prevention meeting held in Pinos Altos in more than four years. At first there were more Bureau of Land Management Fuels specialists and Forest Service officials at the P.A. Volunteer Fire Station than locals, but one by one P.A. residents came in until 21 filled the meeting.  “While there is no fire-prevention treatment now," said BLM’s Fuels Specialist Ricky Cox, “the BLM has a little funding to treat both public and private lands within a mile of BLM land in P.A.”


The proposed treatment area is south and west of the town, adjacent to prior thins done nearly a decade ago on public lands, in a mix of overcrowded ponderosa pine, oak and juniper. Residents asked for fire-prevention assessments of their homes from State Forestry, with Evelyn Yates asking for an assessment, too, saying, “I want to die in my home from age, but not from a forest fire.” Already State Forestry has recommended a plan to fire adapt Yates’ five acres on Golden Street in P.A.

Treatment, following a prescription for restoring the land, would not just be ladder-limbing, but actual tree removal and full treatment of the slash. Up to half the small and spindly pines would be removed, separating crowns, allowing for grass to grow.  With good ten to thirty foot gaps between the trees, or clumps of trees, the biggest, and healthiest trees will be left, with mistletoe-infected trees removed and the remaining pines kept safer from mistletoe by the spacing. The timing of the work would most likely be from September until March to keep the bark beetles at a minimum.

For a fire-adapted assessment, give Tonya Vowles, Special Projects Forester with the New Mexico State Forestry, in Silver City, a call at 388-2210. To implement a fire-adapting thinning on your property give Glenn Griffin a call at 388-4130. Gila Tree Thinners has protected 258 local homes directly from fire, treating 3,150 acres over the past 13 years. Griffin is also a member of Grant County’s Eco-Watershed Committee that is seeking to protect citizens and property at high risk from wildfires and related floods.

There is an upcoming Symposium of Preparedness at the WNMU Bessie-Forward Global Resource Center on March 7-8 where much more on fire-adapting our backyards will be discussed. www.scneighborsalliance.com

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.