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Prescribed burns planned this week in Jemez area

Contingent on weather conditions, the U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct some prescribed burns this week in the Jemez Mountains. Laboratory employees and Los Alamos residents may see smoke at times during the week.

The work is being done to reduce wildfire risk in the area as part of a hazardous fuels reduction project.

Personnel from the Santa Fe National Forest plan to conduct prescribed burning 2 miles east of Jemez Springs. "We plan to treat 2,000 acres in three to four days," said Dan Key, Jemez District fire management officer.

Key said aerial and hand ignition will be used for burning the area between forest roads 10 and 269 within the prescribed burn area. Aerial ignition is a safe and efficient method, Key said, of doing prescribed burns by dropping aerial spheres -- ping pong balls containing flammable chemicals which ignite on contact -- from a helicopter.

Smoke may be visible from the NM 4 and NM 126 area, Cochiti, the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Thompson Ridge, La Cueva, Sierra Los Pinos and the Jemez Corridor, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe National Forest said.

For more information, contact John Peterson or Rita Skinner of the Jemez Ranger District at (505) 829-3535.

-- Steve Sandoval

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