SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will begin aerial seeding treatments on National Forest System (NFS) lands on November 8, 2023. The project area consists of 11,759 acres on the Pecos/Las Vegas District of the Santa Fe National Forest and on the Camino Real District of the Carson National NF in northern New Mexico.
The Forest Service has identified priority treatment areas within the fire perimeter with moderate to high soil burn severity. Seeding will help intercept rainfall and increase on-slope storage of water and sediment. This treatment will help stabilize hillsides impacted by the fire to reduce post-fire runoff and mitigate erosion in watersheds on NFS lands.
The units identified for seeding are located in Taos, Mora, and San Miguel counties, 10-15 air miles north/northwest of Las Vegas, NM and 5-10 air miles northwest of Mora, NM. The units are in a variety of watersheds including but not limited to the Gallinas River Watershed, the Tecolote Creek Watershed, and Rio de las Casas.
Helicopters and fix winged aircraft will be used distribute seed. The seed mix includes native species and a non-persistent annual barley. This treatment is expected to take approximately 14 days, weather permitting.
Aero Tech, a New Mexico-based company out of Clovis, was awarded the contract and will be working closely with the Forest Service to implement the planned seeding treatments.
