Pile Burning Planned for Several Ranger Districts

Fire crews are planning to begin pile burning operations as early as the week of Nov. 18 in and around Hopewell Lake, Tres Piedras, and Canjilon.

Willow and Tio North pile burns are expected to begin as early as Tuesday, Nov. 19. Willow is in the vicinity of FR712 and can be seen from Hwy 64, it lies between Hopewell Lake and Tres Piedras in the south side of Hwy 64.

Tio North is located half a mile west of the Tres Piedras Ranger Station, it can be seen from Tres Piedras and the Taos Area. It is located off Hwy 64 on the north side of the Hwy.

Canjilon Wildland Urban Interface pile burn is expected to begin as early as Wednesday, Nov 20. Canjilon Piles are an urban interface project that surrounds the town. Areas of burning are north of FR124. Smoke may visible from surrounding communities of Cebolla and Tierra Amarilla as well as Hwy 84.

Project Background

The Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project on the west side is a priority within the Southwest, protecting forest communities and increasing the health of the watershed, which serves millions of people downstream.

Smoke

Piles are made from slash, such as branches and brush stacked by contractors during thinning work. Thinning and pile burning is often the first step in reducing fuels in dense forest stands. When followed by understory or jackpot burning, it has been shown to be the most effective combination to reduce the threat of wildfire

Residents and visitors can prepare with tips on the Carson National Forest smoke readiness webpage at fs.usda.gov/goto/CarsonRxSmoke.

Once ignitions begin, updates will be ongoing via email, InciWeb, and social media (Facebook, X).