Beginning Tuesday, September 29th, through Friday, October 2nd, Santa Fe National Forest, Española Ranger District fire managers will continue treating the Santa Fe Watershed with prescribed fire, in an effort to reduce hazardous fuels, provide community protection, and restore forest health. The burn area is located 3 miles east of the City of Santa Fe, northeast of McClure Reservoir. Approximately 850-acres will be treated over the four day burning period with hand and aerial ignition if weather conditions are favorable.

Smoke from the burn will be very visible from the city of Santa Fe, east of Santa Fe, Tesuque, from I-25 and to the west from Glorieta to the Pecos Canyon area. Smoke may settle into lower elevations and in drainage areas during the evenings, but should lift by mid-morning. Smoke will be monitored and the Forest Service will comply with NM air quality regulations. Smoke from prescribed fires is considerably less and of a shorter duration than smoke of wildfires that can burn for weeks and even months at a time. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems are urged to stay indoors with windows and doors closed when possible and to avoid using wood or gas stoves and candles.

The Santa Fe Watershed Project was designed to reduce dense small-diameter tree stands within a 7,270 acre area in the watershed that pose a wildfire threat to both the watershed and the city of Santa Fe. Providing 40 percent of Santa Fe's water, the watershed is one of the main sources of water for the city Santa Fe. Since 2002 when the project began, all thinning has been completed, and approximately 3,400 acres of piles have been burned successfully. There remains 1,500 acres with piles of thinned material in the treated area.