By KRWG News
Silver City – The Glenwood Ranger District of the Gila National Forest is conducting prescribed fires throughout the next few months.
The first one is the Glenwood Slash Pit Pile Burn planned on February 1st and expected to last one day. Location is on the Sheridan Ridge Road, Forest Service Road 146 (Township 12S, Range 19W, Section 29). The slash pit is a community-based slash disposal area for woody material.
The second prescribed fire is in the Roberts Park area west of Glenwood (Township 11S, Range 21W, Section 27) and part of the Snare Mesa Wildlife Project. Approximately 150 acres are planned to be burned during the week of February 7th. This multi-year project was planned to improve wildlife habitat by creating openings in the pi on and juniper and improving grass production.
Following is the Glenwood Administrative Site Prescribed Fire expected to start February 22nd and continue through March as weather permits. The prescribed fire had originally been planned for this past autumn but was postponed due to rainshowers. Objectives are to reduce the density of mesquite and small diameter pi on and juniper in the burn units and to restore the pastures within the administrative site. Location is south of the Community of Glenwood and west of U.S. Highway 180 near the Glenwood Ranger Station office (Township 11S, Range 20W, Section 27); acreage is less than 200.
Weather permitting, the Ranger District will also be burning slash piles near Bursum Road (NM 159) as part of the Mogollon Wildland Urban Interface Project (Township 10S, Range 19W, Section 32). These slash piles are small and near private land and consist of debris from thinning conducted for the purpose of creating defensible space in case of wildfire.
Smoke is expected to be visible in these prescribed fires during early morning and evening hours but is expected to decrease significantly as daytime temperatures increase.
Further information may be obtained by contacting the Ranger District at (575) 539-2481.