VIDEO: Following devastating wildfires that scorched homes and forests in New Mexico, U.S. Forest Service officials have spent years coming up with plans to prevent fires. This fall, they’ll start tackling a large area of forest land full of overgrown trees and deteriorating roads.
Wildfires have left their devastating mark on New Mexico, including the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire, the largest and most destructive wildfire in 2022 that burned more than 340,000 acres and hundreds of homes.
The U.S. Forest Service is trying to prevent scenes like that. “The biggest focus is to just reduce fuel, and so whenever we can take that overgrown forest and all those trees and reduce the number of trees, that’s a good thing to help reduce the risk of that uncharacteristic wildfire,’ said Shaun Sanchez, Forest Supervisor, Santa Fe National Forest.
In the northern region of Santa Fe National Forest, work is set to begin this fall on wildfire prevention. It’s called the Encino Vista Landscape Restoration Project and it’s been in the works for six years. The cleanup will cover 119,848 acres of land.
