Reserve, NM, December 2, 2019 – The Gila National Forest, Reserve Ranger District plans district-wide pile burns, weather and fire conditions permitting.
With the arrival of winter moisture, the Reserve Ranger District is preparing to burn piles at various district locations. These areas will be signed and posted for public awareness. The pile burns are scheduled to begin in December and carry throughout the winter months as conditions are conducive to burning. The objectives of these burns are to reduce wildfire threat by removing piled fuels/slash created from past and ongoing thinning and timber sale projects.
The burns will be conducted at the following locations:
- Stark Weather Piles; adjacent to Highway 12 (Griffin Ranch) and County Road B006 (Hudson Ranch), Reserve WUI Project Area.
- Black/Deer/Six Shooter Timber Sale Piles; approximately ten miles southeast of Reserve along FR 141 and along Forest Road 153 (Deep Creek Road).
- Buzzard Salvage Timber Sale Piles; approximately 13 miles southeast of Apache Creek along Forest Road 94, near Five Springs Divide.
Smoke may be visible in the areas where the burns are being conducted and may linger at night and in the early morning but will normally decrease significantly as daytime weather prevails. Smoke will be monitored to ensure that the New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau regulations are being 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 at the New Mexico Department of Health’s website: https://nmtracking.org/fire.
Further information may be obtained by contacting Reserve District Fire Management Officer, Shilow Norton or Fuels Specialist Pete Delgado at (575) 533-6231.