Laguna Fire Soil Burn Severity is Low

Santa Fe, N.M., July 31, 2025— A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has created the soil burn severity map for the Laguna Wildfire that shows an estimate of fire effects on soils.  Approximately 81% of the Laguna Fire acres are either unburned/very low or low soil burn severity, while 14% sustained moderate and 5% identified as high. This mosaic pattern dominated by low soil burn severity is consistent with the natural effects of fire in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests in northern New Mexico.

The soil burn severity map analyzes 17,494 acres that burned in the Laguna Fire started by lightning on the Coyote District on June 25, 2025. The BAER team used preliminary remote sensing satellite imagery with field-validated data collected over multiple days to produce the Soil Burn Severity map.  Changes in soil cover, water repellency, and soil physical and biological conditions guide the interpretations of remote sensing imagery to determine the severity of effects on soil caused by exposure to fire.

The Burned Area Emergency Response team is now using the soil burn severity map and other field observations to analyze the risk of post-fire impacts on critical values to determine the need for emergency actions on National Forest System lands. Additional details will be shared when the risk analysis is completed.

The Laguna Fire soil burn severity map can be downloaded as a pdf file in the “Maps” tab at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmsnf-laguna-wildfire.  Updated information about the Laguna Fire operations, soil burn severity, other maps, closure information, and the BAER effort are provided at the same site.

Public Safety Advisory: The fire suppression operation is continuing, a public safety closure order is still in effect, and the summer monsoons can create hazards extending beyond the fire area. Everyone near and downstream from the burned area should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Servicewebsite: www.weather.gov/abq/.

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