Fire is the best tool to reduce hazardous fuels near at-risk communities

SILVER CITY, NM, May 16, 2023 – The Gila National Forest has completed 9,379 acres of prescribed burning so far this year in 12 separate prescribed fire projects. These projects have reduced hazardous fuels adjacent to communities, protecting public safety and critical infrastructure, while taking steps toward restoring forests, watersheds, and wildlife habitats through use of fire in fire-adapted ecosystems.

“Prescribed fire is the most effective and most efficient tool available for treating forests and woodlands to reduce the buildup of hazardous fuels adjacent to communities,” said Gila National Forest Fire Management Officer, Gabe Holguin. “We develop plans for prescribed burns many months or even years in advance and can only carry them out when fuels and weather conditions support meeting the burn objectives. The plan identifies the acceptable range of weather, fuel moisture, and firefighting resources that must be in place to allow for ignitions to occur.”

Carrying out a prescribed fire is a coordinated dance that relies on the proper alignment of many factors. First, a plan is developed that considers the amount, type, and arrangement of fuels, topography, weather patterns, and communities at risk. Prescribed burn units are developed based on fuels and landscape features, such as roads, trails, and topography that can be used to hold the fire in place.

Prescribed burns must be implemented when burn objectives can be met. That means burning at a time of year when fuels are available for burning – when temperatures are warm enough, relative humidity and fuel moistures are low enough, and winds are strong enough to carry fire through and allow consumption of the targeted fuels. “Solar heating and humidity in the air have a much larger impact on fire behavior than most people would expect,” said Holguin. “Trying to burn during the wrong conditions would not result in effective consumption of the fuels we are trying to eliminate by burning, wasting time, dollars, and resources.”

Given last year’s pause on prescribed burning and a review of the prescribed fire program, some new tools have been added to the system to help elevate capacity to accomplish increasingly urgent fuels reduction work. Most firefighting positions have been converted to permanent, year-round status, which increases staffing in recognition of the year-round need for fire management. There’s a greater emphasis on bringing in support from outside the forest, region, and agency for prescribed burning and for increased prescribed fire training opportunities.

These new conditions have brought about change in the Gila National Forest’s approach to prescribed burning. During recent prescribed burns on the Gila National Forest, contracted and Bureau of Land Management crews were brought in to help; the National Weather Service provided an Incident Meteorologist onsite, and a Burn Boss Trainee came from California to participate. Non-local resources brought diverse knowledge and experiences from firefighting in other areas of the country, which they shared with local crews. They also asked new and different questions stemming from their unfamiliarity with the area, improving situational awareness and training of all participants.

Looking ahead, the Gila National Forest will be looking for opportunities to manage natural wildfire ignitions, to allow fire to play its natural role in maintaining forest ecosystems. Decisions about whether to fully suppress a naturally ignited wildfire or to manage for natural resource objectives will be made on a case-by-case basis. This decision depends on a number of factors including location, fuels, suppression resource availability, expected fire weather conditions, and seasonal outlook.

The Forest continues to develop and approve prescribed fire burn plans. If windows of opportunity allow for safe, effective, and efficient use of prescribed fires, they will be implemented at locations across the forest this year. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or Maribeth.Pecotte@usda.gov.