McCrystal Rock Prescribed Fire Update #1 

Fire crews treated 1,200 acres with broadcast prescribed fire in the Valle Vidal today. Forest Service personnel, assisted by members of the Red River and Taos County fire departments, used drip torches to black line segments of the 6,333-acre McCrystal Rock Unit’s northern and eastern boundary before a helicopter crew ignited areas within. 

Crews plan to continue ignitions throughout the weekend if weather and conditions continue to be favorable. Overnight temperatures are forecasted to go below freezing with good humidity recovery and winds of 8 to 13 mph. Similar winds are forecasted for Saturday with a high of 54 degrees and minimum humidity of 20%. 

Fire managers have been working with meteorologists and will consult a National Weather Service spot forecast in the morning before potentially proceeding with a test fire and ultimately deciding to move forward with ignitions or not. 

The McCrystal Rock Unit is part of the larger 21,000-acre Valle Vidal Northeast Prescribed Fire Project. The goal is to improve wildlife habitat by, in part, promoting grassland and meadow regeneration and reducing the potential for high-severity wildfires in forested areas. 

Fire-adapted forests in the Southwest must undergo fire disturbance on a regular basis to maintain resiliency. Reintroducing and maintaining regular fire intervals in the Valle Vidal, the so-called “Yellowstone of the Southwest,” is a key component of the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The emphasis of the strategy is to increase fuels and forest health treatments to protect natural resources in designated landscapes, including the 1.5-million-acre Enchanted Circle Landscape in Northern New Mexico. 

Fire behavior today was been moderate, burning across the forest floor and meadows reducing surface fuels, such as pine needles, fallen leaves, grass and some smaller trees. 

Smoke from the prescribed fire could impact Valle Vidal and may be noticeable to communities in Colfax County, New Mexico, and Las Animas County, Colorado. 

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

(Photo: Aerial view of ignitions on the McCrystal Rock Unit on Oct. 13, 2023)