The US Forest Service is admitting after months of delay that it caused yet another big New Mexico forest fire. Already the agency has admitted it caused both the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires, but as a recent Albuquerque Journal article pointed out, they had been reluctant to take the blame for the 2022 Cerro Pelado which happened in the Jemez Mountains in Santa Fe National Forest. The fire burned 45,605 acres.
The Agency has officially admitted it caused the fire via a prescribed burn.
For more than a decade the Rio Grande Foundation has argued that the federal government does a poor job of managing its lands and asked that states be allowed to manage national forests instead. Sadly, until fundamental changes are made to land management techniques New Mexico is likely to continue to face fires and lost opportunities.
Hiking yesterday, I came across a recent burn area on Sandia Mountain. I was on the 10K trail. It looked to be an area of 7-10 acres. So many mature but dead trees, pines & aspens, had to be cut down. Their blackened trunks stinking from being burned. I am surprised that the government was able to put out the fire before it exploded.
It’s scary- I live in mountains and have trees all around my property these incompetent a holes don’t care about weather conditions they have a contract or time limit to get the job done, and will start even if the wind is blowing and everything is a tinderb
It was controlled and extinguished by local resources with assistance from federal and state responders.
That was a lightning strike fire and the fire depts from all over even mauntainaire had that one under control quite quickly.
The Forest Service is doing a horrible job. Their track record is deplorable. But you arguing that the state would do a better job is absolutely absurd, particularly given all the time and effort you spend bashing our governor.
Well the Governor is a flaming idiot so maybe it’s better the state not be involved.
I’m not sure on that. I’m a big believer in incentives. The state (whether New Mexico or another) has stronger incentives to both maximize revenues AND protect its citizens than does the federal government.
The USDA, US Forest Service burned me out and all the forest around me. Almost 100 square miles, New Mexico’s larges wildfire ever. Not starting just 1 fire but 2 fires, Hermit Peak and Calf Canyon. These US Forest Service fires destroyed thousands of lives, 600 homes and memories. USDA needs a new slogan for Smokey the Bear “Only the USDA, US Forest Service can burn you out and get away with It”. The Forest Service burns you out then FEMA drives you crazy. What a gimmick. If we throw the USDA management and US Forest Service arsons in jail, then maybe they will stop burning up the forest, people’s homes and destroying their lives. And FEMA can go back to torturing the victims of the hurricane catastrophes.
If you used accelerants to start forest fires, burned people out, then you would go to jail. Seems this law doesn’t apply to USDA management that decides to go ahead an burn people out even knowing how risky it is.
My gosh, let the states start burning homes and forest, what’s the difference who does it. People’s lives and dreams are permanently destroyed. The public moves to the next forest until they burn it up, creating more environmental havoc and global warming.