Crews complete 15 acres of pile burning on Sulphur Unit of Sandia Ranger District

Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands fire managers took advantage of favorable weather conditions this week to implement prescribed fire pile burning on the previously announced Sulphur unit on the Sandia Ranger District. The pile burn area is located in the Sandia east mountains, north of I-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. See map attached.

Crews completed 15 acres of pile burning this week and will continue to look for opportunities through March for additional acres of piles within the unit.

Ignition on prescribed fire depends upon agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in the prescribed burn plan. Each prescribed fire is designed to accomplish specific objectives and is managed with firefighter and public safety as the highest priority. Fire managers use prescribed fire to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, increase firefighter safety, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect communities and watersheds.

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. The Cibola NF & NGs manages all prescribed fires in compliance with New Mexico state air quality and smoke management regulations.

For more information on the Sulphur Canyon prescribed fire pile burn, contact the Sandia Ranger District Office: 505-281-3304 or Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900