Fire managers on the Cuba Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) plan to implement the Ojitos and Poso/Sanchez prescribed pile burns sometime between Jan. 13 and March 31. The timing will be dependent on favorable conditions, including snow pack, fuel moisture levels, air quality, wind direction and weather forecasts.
The pile burns are designed to remove woody debris from fuels reduction project areas. The Ojitos pile burn, located 1 mile east of the Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout Camp, totals 379 acres, and the 90-acre Poso/Sanchez pile burn is east of the community of Llaves and the Dead Man's Peak lookout tower. Prescribed fire is always managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority.
Winter is an optimal time to burn slash piles because snow on the ground keeps the fire from spreading to adjacent vegetation.