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Here’s the latest for prescribed fires on the Carson National Forest:

• Fire crews conducted another day of ignitions on the La Jara and Apache Prescribed Fire, treating 544 acres near Forest Road 5 in La Jara Canyon. More ignitions are planned for tomorrow. The public should expect to see smoke throughout the day.
• Managers are looking at the possibility of beginning the Powderhouse Prescribed Fire in Valle Vidal as early as Oct. 13. More details are below.
• Crews continue to patrol and monitor the Sotano and American Creek prescribed fires, which were completed yesterday and last week, respectively. This work includes the use of an uncrewed aerial system, or drone, outfitted with infrared to detect heat.

Powderhouse Prescribed Fire

The prescribed fire unit is 8,288 acres and located on the western side of Valle Vidal near Costilla Dam to the north and Holman Creek to the south. It is bounded by forest roads 1900, 1950, old logging roads and built control line (map).

Regular fire helps restore many of the forest’s ecosystems and can reduce the threat of a catastrophic wildfire severely affecting the recently restored population of Rio Grande cutthroat trout, a project over 20 years in the making. It also helps maintain productive rangelands that support local grazers.

The project is an effort of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy, a national initiative to reduce the threat of wildfire to communities, infrastructure (e.g. Costilla Dam), and natural resources (e.g. Rio Costilla Watershed). The Enchanted Circle Landscape is one of the strategy’s priorities.

Stay Updated 

Residents and visitors are encouraged to keep updated with prescribed fire and other Carson National Forest news by joining the forest news release list, among other options like checking InciWeb, following on social media and using NMFireInfo.com.

More information about prescribed fires, including smoke-readiness tips, are available online.