Prescribed Fires Around Canjilon Tentatively Scheduled 

Carson National Forest personnel are preparing to potentially begin prescribed fire operations in the Canjilon Wildland Urban Interface Project next week. Ignitions on 899-acre Montoya and 841-acre Blas units could start as early as Monday, Oct. 16, but the timing will ultimately be based on weather and on-site conditions in consultation with a meteorologist. 

Fire crews are planning implement the project over five to seven days to limit smoke impacts. When fire is excluded from areas in the forest, surface fuels accumulate and a first entry prescribed fire will generally produce considerable smoke. In the future, when crews conduct subsequent prescribed fires in the same area, less smoke is expected. 

“The work around Canjilon has truly been collaborative,” said District Ranger Angie Krall. “Local residents and the State of New Mexico have been major players in and around the Forest Service lands.” 

Since 2011, Forest Service staff and partners have been thinning and applying prescribed fire around the communities of Canjilon and Placita Garcia, which are completely surrounded by Carson National Forest. Many adjacent private landowners, with the assistance of the state, are contributing by thinning and applying prescribed fire on their properties. A map that shows how the Montoya and Blas units fit into the bigger picture is available online. 

If a future wildfire reaches the area after treatments are completed, the fire behavior will likely be modified to a less intense, more manageable surface fire.  

The Canjilon project is part of the 3.8 million-acre Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, which supports the national Wildfire Crisis Strategy.  

The public can get prescribed fire updates on InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information and Carson National Forest social media channels (Facebook, X).

(Photo: A prescribed fire in the Canjilon Wildland Urban Interface Project in 2018)