A proposed plan by the Forest Service to mitigate fire risks in the Sandia Ranger District has sparked concerns among residents and stakeholders in the Placitas Canyon.
Jon Couch, who serves as the Commissioner of the Los Huertas Community Ditch and is an Associate Supervisor for the Coronado Soil and Water Conservation District (CSWCD), strongly supports the reduction of fire hazards in the nearly 3,000 acres of Sandia Ranger District.
What the citizens do not support, is the proposal by the Cibola National Forest and the National Grasslands division to include prescribed burning in Las Huertas Canyon as part of the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project.
“There’s just a whole lot of people that are pretty much freaked out about the possibility of burning down the canyon and then the fire working its way down to our homes,” said Couch.
Earlier this month, the Signpost reported the Forest Service plans to restore, maintain and enhance forested conditions across about 2,956 acres in the Sandia Ranger District, spanning Sandoval and Bernalillo counties and encompassing the Sandia Mountain communities located north of I-40. The plan aims to mitigate the risk of catastrophic fires by employing hand and mechanical treatments and prescribed fires across the entire area.
Couch, along with Susan Harrelson, a retired Forest Service silviculturist, proposed an alternative plan that does not involve prescribed burning.
He said the biggest concern with the Forest Service’s plan is the terrain’s steepness and the vegetation’s density. If they thin and cut down trees, turning them into slash, they intend to pile them within 300 feet of the road for burning. It would make it problematic due to the steep terrain. There is a risk of embers being ejected from the fires, which could spread to areas that are not intended for fuel treatment, such as the wilderness area or other parts of the canyon.
“A lot of people are upset about this say they’re aware of the controlled burn that got out of hand up north and they don’t really have much faith in the Forest Service’s ability to contain a controlled burn,” said Couch. “Their main concern is that once they start a prescribed fire, they can’t put it out.”
Couch, a former firefighter in New Mexico and California noted that in his experience, the largest fires he battled often originated as controlled burns. Incidents like the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak Fire which burned 341,735 acres near Las Vegas are not isolated incidents, frequently prescribed fires get out of hand.
Couch and Harrison’s plan proposed thinning trees, cutting them into manageable pieces and dragging them to Highway 165 for the public to harvest for firewood. The remaining slash would be chipped and removed from the area. Chipping the slash in the forest doesn’t eliminate fuel.
If the alternative plan is implemented, Couch said a contractor would likely be needed for the forest thinning process, requiring funding secured through a federal grant.
Get involved
He said the group is working on organizing a community meeting involving the Forest Service and all stakeholders in the canyon and inviting the public. They are also inviting the two senators to attend the meeting. The group is awaiting confirmation from the Forest Service before they announce a date and location.
Maps for the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project can be found on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands project page at fs.usda.gov/project/cibola/?project=65654
Forest Service officials are asking the public to submit their comments on the proposed plan. All comments are due no later than May 3 at 5 p.m.
Written comments must be submitted to District Ranger Crystal Powell, ATTN: North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project, Sandia Ranger District, 11776 HWY 337, Tijeras, New Mexico 87059.