Lincoln National Forest Apple Tree Fire, July 27 update

Start Date / Time: July 18, 2023, 9:00 pm

Cause: Lightning

Size: 270 acres

Containment: 5%

Location:  East of Sacramento Lookout Tower, 6 mi. north of the community of Timberon, 3.5 miles southeast of Sunspot, NM.

Fire Strategy: Confine and contain

Resources: 1 type-2 crew, 1 7-person fuels crew, 1 engine, 1 ambulance

Fire behavior: Low/Moderate fire behavior.

Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed conifer, locust and oak brush, dead and down trees.

Values at risk: No structures or communities are at immediate risk.

Update: Crews from the Sacramento Ranger District are continuing work on the Apple Tree Fire. Fire managers are using a confine-and-contain strategy, which allows fire to move naturally across the landscape, providing ecological benefits to plants and wildlife. Management actions range from strategically burning around the perimeter or ahead of the main fire to prevent rapid spread outside the designated planning area and maintain low to moderate fire behavior.

There are no homes at risk and no major infrastructure in the area. The Apple Tree Fire is a lightning-caused fire that started on July 18, 2023.

The management tactics of the Apple Tree Fire aligns with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to increase the use of fire on the landscape as well as other treatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come. Decades of research has shown that forests need regular fire to remove these hazardous fuels. The intended result of managing naturally-caused wildfires is to encourage the growth of native plants, increase species diversity, and restore ecological balance, ultimately reducing the potential for future high-severity wildfires.

Smoke: Smoke will be visible in coming days as the fire continues to progress across the landscape. Please use caution when driving along Sunspot Highway towards Timberon, NM, and along Sacramento River Road. Smoke will be heavier during the morning and overnight as it settles into lower elevation and will lift as temperatures increase. A column of smoke from the fire will be most likely in the afternoon and evenings. Smoke will likely impact Timberon, NM and Otero Mesa.

Visitor Information: The road to Sacramento Lookout is blocked. Visitors are advised to stay out of the fire area for their safety and to allow for quick and safe access the fire. Please avoid Apple Tree Trail, Apple Tree Canyon and Forest Service Road 64 near Sacramento Lookout. Expect to see heavy firefighter traffic along Forest Service Road 64.