A friendly forest fire

Given a safe layer of snow, workers burn debris to save thicket

With the start of a new year and a good layer of snow on the ground, Santa Fe National Forest is starting to schedule a series of pile burns throughout the region.

Forest Service workers as well as others spend much of the spring trimming or cutting down trees and making huge piles of wood. Then, when there is enough snow to prevent a fire from creeping around on the forest floor, they light the piles.

Despite the harsh conditions — cold temperatures, thick snow, hidden stumps and the difficulty of lighting snow-covered piles — it is still an effective way to reduce fuels, improve the health of the forest and prevent a catastrophic wildfire.

On a recent morning, 20 forest workers from Santa Fe National Forest, Santa Fe County and the Forest Stewards Guild joined to conduct a 157-acre pile burn in the Coyote Ranger District of Santa Fe National Forest. The area had been logged earlier, and last spring members of the Forest Service worked to pile up the slash, debris and small trees in preparation for the burn, working to return the forest to a healthier state.

Santa Fe National Forest has pile burns planned for the Española, Jemez and Pecos/Las Vegas ranger districts this winter, so observers can expect to see more smoke rising through the trees.

PHOTOS BY EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL Brandon Chavarria of the Santa Fe County Black Canyon hand crew helped Thursday with a 157-acre pile burn in the Coyote Ranger District of Santa Fe National Forest. The Forest Service only conducts these type of burns when there is enough snow on the ground to prevent the fires from spreading.

Where there were once piles of limbs and small trees in Santa Fe National Forest, now there is only ash and coals after a pile burn.

James Casaus of the Coyote Ranger District in Santa Fe National Forest was the fire management officer for a recent winter burn.

Workers in Santa Fe National Forest started a pile burn Thursday despite cold temperatures, thick snow, hidden stumps and the difficulty of lighting snow-covered piles.

Genevieve Conley of the Forest Stewards Guild used a torch to light a pile of wood on fire. She was one of 20 forest workers conducting an operation.

Workers in Santa Fe National Forest used torches containing a mixture of gasoline and diesel to burn piled-up debris..