Cibola National Forest Prepares for Prescribed Fire Piles on the Sandia Ranger District

Favorable weather conditions in place for hazardous fuels reduction work

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – December 5, 2025 – The Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) is planning prescribed fire pile burn operations on the Sandia Ranger District as early as Tuesday, December 9 pending all required approvals. We estimate this work to continue throughout the month of December as weather conditions allow.

Fire managers are taking advantage of recent precipitation, snow covered ground, cooler temperatures, and relative humidity recoveries that create suitable conditions for burning piled slash and woody debris from earlier forest restoration work. We use prescribed fires to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.

Sandia Ranger District Prescribed Fire planned for:

Cedro Unit Prescribed Pile Burn: 15 acres of piles within the Cedro unit in the Sandia Piles Rx plan. The pile burn area is in the Manzanita Mountains. Cedro is located south FSR 462, east of NM-337. Smoke may be visible from Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM. Map attached. Sulphur Unit Prescribed Pile Burn: 18 acres of piles within the Sulphur unit in the Sandia Piles Rx plan. The pile burn area is in the Sandia east mountains, north of I-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM. Map attached.

This area may be closed to the public for several days during burn operations for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.

Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burn. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. Smoke is expected to lift during the day, however, cooler overnight temperatures may cause smoke to settle into low-lying areas surrounding the burn location. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road. 

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Stay informed about scheduled prescribed fires through InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information and on the Cibola NF & NGs website, Cibola Facebook and Cibola X sites. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.