NM State Land Office and Forest Stewards Guild Announce Community Meeting on Planned Fall 2025 Broadcast Burn in Black Lake, NM

Santa Fe, NM – The Forest Stewards Guild (Guild) is partnering with the New Mexico State Land Office (SLO), The Nature Conservancy, Angel Fire Fire Department, Moreno Valley Fire Department, and a diverse group of collaborators to implement a prescribed broadcast burn on between 200 and 400 acres of SLO land in Black Lake, NM south of the Village of Angel Fire in October 2025. Ignitions are expected to take place over 4 – 5 days with potential smoke impacts in Moreno Valley. The burn team will select exact ignition days based on daily fuel moisture and weather at the site combined with future forecasts. The burn team is wildland fire-qualified and has decades-worth of experience. The team will conduct the operation under a reviewed and approved burn plan, working closely with local fire officials and following resource recommendations from the 2022 USDA Forest Service National Prescribed Fire Program Review. Plentiful resources will be on site to contain and patrol the burn to ensure it is secured within pre-identified control lines, until it is declared out.

A community meeting to discuss the upcoming broadcast burn will be held on Thursday, August 21, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Val Verde Fire Station, located at 27749 U.S. Highway 64, Angel Fire, New Mexico, 87710.

The Guild and NM SLO have been partnering on forest and fire management for over 15 years and are committed to continuing this partnership. Five prescribed burns have successfully been implemented by the Guild and collaborative partners in this area since 2013, and this will be the sixth.
Prescribed broadcast burns are a vital part of long-term forest and watershed management in the Southwest. Many of these landscapes are naturally adapted to fire and depend on periodic, low intensity burns to stay healthy. Conducting prescribed burns during the cooler wetter fall season allows land managers to safely reduce the accumulation of flammable litter and branches (hazardous fuels) before the next fire season. This proactive approach lowers the risk of severe wildfires threatening nearby communities. In addition to protecting lives and property, prescribed burning supports forest health, preserves water quality, and enhances wildlife habitat.

The team will actively use emissions reduction techniques to minimize smoke impacts and will do so in coordination with local fire departments and air quality regulators. Potentially affected communities include Village of Angel Fire, Black Lake, Eagle Nest, and residents of Colfax, Mora, and Taos counties.
Learn more about Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico at http://www.facnm.org. More information on smoke, huma health, and a HEPA Filter Loan Program can be accessed by visiting https://facnm.org/smoke.

For more information call 818-731-5944. For updates before, during, and after the burn, visit NMFireInfo.com

Contact: Megan Rangel-Lynch, 818-731-5944, mrangel-lynch@forestguild.org

The Forest Stewards Guild is an equal opportunity provider.