Jaybird and Mill prescribed fires scheduled
 
SILVER CITY, Oct. 12, 2023 – The Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District is continuing its prescribed fire program with two projects tentatively scheduled to begin the week of October 16. The two projects are the Jaybird and Mill prescribed fires, both are part of the overall project Signal Peak Hazardous Fuels Reduction.

Managers will make the final implementation decision for the Jaybird prescribed fire on October 16 if the required weather conditions and resource availability are in place as outlined in the prescribed burn plan. The 2,600-acre Jaybird prescribed fire project is in the Signal Peak area, near Meadow Creek and Jaybird Canyon. The unit is adjacent to the east side of New Mexico Highway 15 from Meadow Creek Road to milepost 19.Temporary closures can be expected on Forest Road 149 (Meadow Creek Road) and NM Highway 15 is expected to be closed during that week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Signal Peak Road and Wildhorse Mesa.

Smoke may be visible from the communities of Pinos Altos, Silver City, Lake Roberts, Mimbres, and San Lorenzo. There will be smoke impacts to NM Highway 15 and 35, the Mimbres, and Sapillo drainages, and the community of Mimbres. Smoke will be monitored to ensure that the New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau’s regulations are met. Smoke-sensitive individuals and those with respiratory or heart disease should take precautionary measures. Air quality information and health protection measures are posted online by the NM Department of Health at NM Fire Info | Smoke Management.

Ignitions are expected to last two to three days on each project. After ignitions are completed on the Jaybird, fire crews plan to begin the 960-acre Mill prescribed fire located west of NM Highway 15 in the Sheep Corral area. It is adjacent to the north side of Forest Road 282 (Sheep Corral Road) north to Forest Road 876 and west to Forest Road 3131F. Temporary closures may be expected on NM Highway 15 and the Sheep Corral area. This unit was prescribed burned previously in 2010.

Prescribed fires are an effective tool for restoring fire-dependent ecosystems and reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires. Fire managers use prescribed fire to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, increase firefighter safety, enhance wildlife habitat, protect communities and lower future fire intensity.

 Landscape treatments such as the Jaybird and Mill prescribed fires align with the Forest Service's 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to increase the use of fire on the landscape as well as other treatments to improve forest health.  

Please visit the Gila National Forest website at  https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila    and Facebook.