BLM plans prescribed burn activities in Chaves County

ROSWELL, N.M. – Beginning in February, the Bureau of Land Management plans to conduct prescribed fire operations in Chaves County. Specifically, the operations are planned to take place on 5,343 acres in the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat Preservation Area of Critical Environmental Concern, near U.S. Route 380 east of Roswell. Many refer to the area as the Sand Ranch ACEC. The operations, which will occur by March 1, are weather dependent and will take several days to complete.

During the potential burn period, fire management crews will monitor the daily weather to decide which date the burn will take place. During a prescribed burn, between 15 and 20 BLM firefighters and support personnel typically remain on scene and monitor the burn until it is safe to leave.

Smoke from the burn may be visible from Roswell, Tatum, Elida and nearby communities. Although smoke should not impact highways, personnel will post signs along roadways to inform motorists about the potential for smoke. The agency reminds motorists to use caution by reducing speed and watching for fire personnel and equipment.

Because prescribed fires are lower intensity than most wildfires, these operations will decrease the risk of damage from wildfires and loss to adjacent property. Other goals are to improve watershed and habitat conditions, increase the health, vigor, and competitive ability of the native plant community, and reduce the impact of non-native and native invasive plant species.

Prior to the prescribed burn, firefighters will conduct a test fire to assess whether the fire behavior will generate the desired results and to ensure they have sufficient resources on site to keep the burn contained. Firefighters determine on-site resource needs before burns by assessing site conditions, using fire behavior modeling software, following weather and drought patterns, and obtaining site-specific weather forecasts to best predict fire behavior. If fire behavior is not favorable, or the on-site resources are not adequate, firefighters will postpone the burn. Firefighters will also identify available contingency resources for the burn.

In addition, BLM Wildlife Biologist Danica Cooke said, “prescribed fire can provide many benefits to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, including increasing the abundance of invertebrates for chicks to eat and increasing the quality and quantity of habitat types that the birds need throughout their life cycle. There is also evidence that prescribed fire can create vegetation structure advantageous for lekking (mating), and I have observed that the birds will choose to lek in a newly burned area compared to the adjacent, unburned habitat.”

Prior to and during all prescribed fires, fire managers coordinate with the New Mexico Environment Department and follow air quality regulations. Those who may have health conditions that make them vulnerable to smoke exposure can get information about smoke and protecting their health at https://nmfireinfo.com/smoke-management/. NMED’s air quality monitoring site at https://aqi.air.env.nm.gov, and www.airnow.gov, are resources for viewing sources of smoke and other factors affecting air quality.

The BLM encourages public land users to continue to be careful with fire. To report a wildfire on public land, please call Alamogordo Interagency Dispatch at 877-695-1663. For more information on this prescribed burn and the BLM fire and hazardous fuels reduction program, please contact Pecos District Fire Management Specialist Dominic Bellat 575-627-0327. Follow the implementation of this project on NMFireInfo.com, or facebook.com/nmfireinfo.