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Fire crews are planning to potentially begin pile burning along and near Highway 150 from Valdez, N.M., to the Taos Ski Valley area as early as Friday, Dec. 1. Piles near San Cristobal, N.M., are also under consideration. 

Both areas are within the wildland urban interface, where human development intermingles with the forest. 

"To protect communities and natural resources we need to restore fire-adapted forests to a healthy and resilient condition by using mechanical thinning and returning beneficial fire in these landscapes," said Enchanted Circle Landscape Program Manager Elizabeth Robinson.  "We are so grateful for the help of partners like the Taos Valley Watershed Coalition in addressing these forest health issues." 

The Enchanted Circle Landscape is one of the priorities of the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which is addressing wildfire risks to communities, critical infrastructure and forests in some of the most at-risk areas. It covers 1.5 million acres in and around the Carson National Forest. 

Reducing the risk from wildfire throughout the Enchanted Circle Landscape relies on strong cross-boundary collaborations. Work on the Highway 150 corridor and around San Cristobal have been in collaboration with partners, including Taos County. 

“The 150 corridor and Kiowa-San Cristobal projects have been top priorities for the Taos Valley Watershed Coalition since it was formed back in 2015,” said Taos County Forest and Watershed Program Manger J.R. Logan. “We’re thrilled to see the Forest Service and its partners continue to make progress in protecting the forests and watersheds that our communities rely on.” 

Piles along Hwy. 150 were created from thinning 400 acres of forest along the corridor and the first two miles of the Wheeler Peak Trail. Piles near San Cristobal were created from 29 acres of thinning north of D.H. Lawrence Ranch Road near its intersection with Forest Service Road 7A.