Pacheco Canyon Prescribed Pile Burn (Prescribed Fire)

 Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) began ignitions today, Jan. 11, on the previously announced Pacheco Canyon prescribed pile burn. The 443-acre pile burn is located off Forest Road (FR) 102 about 5.5 miles northeast of the village of Tesuque on the Española Ranger District. The decision to proceed was based on on multiple factors, including snowpack, fuel moisture levels, air quality, ventilation, forecasted weather and wind, and resource availability. Winter is an optimal time to burn piled slash and woody debris from earlier forest restoration work because snow on the ground keeps the fire from spreading to adjacent vegetation. Generally, pile burns produce less smoke and burn with less intensity than broadcast burns across a larger landscape. Under New Mexico’s shared stewardship strategy for forest management, the SFNF is partnering with the Pueblo of Tesuque and other cooperators this week to implement a 111-acre pile burn on the Vigil Grant, one of two…