TAOS, NM — Fire personnel conducted a successful test burn in the Valle Vidal unit of the Questa Ranger District and will continue with the Loop Road prescribed fire through Thursday, April 5th. Over the course of the next few days up to 6,000 acres could be burned although not every inch of that area will be treated with fire.  Firefighters will use a combination of aerial ignition as well as hand ignition techniques to ignite the unit. Some resources will stay on site to monitor conditions during the night.

Pockets of fuels will be ignited using a variety of fire intensities to create a mosaic effect that will result in some areas of the landscape experiencing a slow surface fire that consumes small trees and litter. Other areas will experience low to moderate fire activity which creates a diverse landscape that is more resistant to disease.  A few small areas could encounter high intensity fire that creates openings and kills invasive species.

The area is completely surrounded by Forest Roads 1950, 1910, and 1914 which creates a fire break. To fortify that fire break, vegetation has been removed and burned on the side of the roads.

Smoke may be visible from the Valley. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Call 575-586-0520.