NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — Fire managers with the Santa Fe National Forest are planning to actively manage the Laguna Fire in the Coyote Ranger District, eight miles north of NM State Road 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness. The 176-acre fire was first reported on June 25 and was caused by lightning.
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Officials say fire managers will start operations with the aim of restoring the ecological process of fire across about 13,000 acres of land. Fire managers will cut away vegetation to make a line of bare soil ahead of the fire and burn vegetation between the line and the actively burning fire. “We manage fire-adapted landscapes, and the Laguna Wildfire is an opportunity to create a resilient ecosystem that reduces the future risk of catastrophic severe wildfire to communities,” said SFNF Deputy Forest Supervisor Anthony Madrid in a release.
Fire managers evaluate strategies for lightning-caused fires including active management to restore its natural role in the landscape. Decisions are made based on firefighter safety, resources, weather forecast, vegetation management and more. Smoke may be visible to communities on NM State Road 96 including Gallina and Coyote and the towns of Cuba, Llaves and Abiquiu.
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