SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
Fire managers initiated the Golondrino prescribed fire on the Santa Fe National Forest Monday, Sept. 25. The 2,227-acre Golondrino prescribed fire is in the Cuba district east of the communities of Llaves and North of Gallina.
Fire crews completed 75 acres of blacklining operations on the northern project boundary. Black lining operations are used to make sure that there is no unburned vegetation between the fire line and the fire edge.
Black lining operations continued Tuesday on 1,700 acres of the original 2,227-acre project. Thus, allowing for containment of the prescribed fire within the project boundaries and helping to prevent the fire from making a run on the containment line. Black lining operations are used to ensure the safety of the fire operations specialists, the public, and the security of the control lines that are used to contain the fire. Ignitions, including aerial operations, are anticipated to last through Wednesday, Sept. 27.
The 2,227-acre Rincon prescribed fire is on French Mesa, off Forest Road 8, on the Coyote Ranger District about seven miles north of the community of Gallina. The Rincon prescribed fire has been postponed and now has an anticipated start date of Thursday, Sept. 28 pending favorable weather and fuels conditions. Many of the same firefighting resources that are being used for the Golodrino burn will also be used to conduct the Rincon burn. Part of the new guidelines for conducting prescribed fires includes ensuring adequate resources are available.
Fire managers are taking measures to reduce smoke by ceasing ignitions in the evening. This allows for the smoke to rise to higher altitudes, move from and disperse beyond the burn area. There will still be overnight impacts from smoke due to nighttime inversions and smoke settling into the valleys. Smoke is anticipated to be heavier today than yesterday due to more acreage being burned, potentially up to 1,700 acres. Smoke may be seen from the communities of Llaves and Golondrino. Please keep in mind that prescribed burns or fires on other forests are also contributing to the amount of smoke in the air. For current information on smoke, go to the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map (https://fire.airnow.gov).
The objectives of these prescribed fires include but are not limited to: reducing juniper encroachment, enhancing wildlife forage, increasing canopy base heights to reduce ladder fuels, and reducing forest floor fuel loading while minimizing smoke impacts.
In fire-dependent ecosystems such as we have in northern New Mexico, these ecosystems require low to moderate-intensity fire for the ecosystem to remain in optimal health. Prescribed fires reduce excess amounts of fuels while cycling nutrients back into the soil and enhancing the growth of plants that wildlife depend upon for forage.
Prescribed fire updates will be posted on the New Mexico Fire Information website and on the Santa Fe National Forest’s Facebookpage and Website. For more information, contact the Cuba Ranger District at 575-289-3264
