Project clears land in East Mountain area
Overgrown brush, trees thinned to reduce fire danger, improve habitat
A project to thin the overgrown brush and trees from 500 acres in the East Mountains is underway and will result in reduced danger of wildfires, improved wildlife habitat and preservation of water.
The project, called the Rio Grande Water Fund, is being led by The Nature Conservancy, using public and private funding, and in conjunction with its partners, including the New Mexico Forest Industry Association.
Laura McCarthy, associate state director of the Nature Conservancy, said Tuesday that the 500-acre site near the headwaters of Cedro Creek, off south NM Highway 337 south of Tijeras, was selected because it is surrounded by homes and is used by outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
“The work that is happening here to improve the health of the forest is achieving multiple benefits,” she said. “It is protecting homes from catastrophic wildfires, helping secure our future water supply, providing habitat
for wildlife and protecting the places that people like to hike and bike and camp.” The area also sees a fair amount of equestrian use, she said.
An overgrown forest “burns uncharacteristically hot” during a wildfire, McCarthy said. “The ash and debris left behind are not anchored in place anymore by the tree roots, so when it rains on that ash and debris, the water flows downhill, rather than infiltrates into the soil.”
Clearing the 500 acres is part of a three-year plan, with about 160 acres being cleared this year, 200 or so next year and the remainder completed during the third year, McCarthy said.
Four people and two masticator machines are being used on the project, said Kim Kostelnik, technical advisor for the New Mexico Forest Industry Association.
The masticators, large frontend loader type machines, contain a rotating drum with teeth that knocks over trees and brush targeted for clearing and then grinds it into small pieces, Kostelnik explained. The pieces remain on the forest floor “because you want it to start decomposing and adding nutrients into the soil so the remaining trees have something to feed off of.” Further, the different sized wooden mulch helps to capture and retain moisture and keeps dust down, she said.
The masticators being used are the same kind that caused the 18,000-acre Dog Head fire in the Manzano Mountains in June 2016.
In that fire, the masticator’s spinning drum struck a rock, kicking up sparks that ignited woody material on the ground. The fire quickly spread into the forest canopy.
Since then, said McCarthy, protocols and safety criteria have been updated.