Project to help reduce wildfire threat in high-risk areas near Silver City
(Silver City, NM, October 1, 2026) — The Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District, in partnership with the State of New Mexico, will initiate mechanical thinning in the Bear Mountain Road area October 19. The project includes 157 acres of mastication with heavy machinery in two units near Bear Mountain Road to create shaded fuel breaks in the vicinity of private lands.
For their safety, the public is asked to avoid areas where masticators are working due to the risk of being hit by rocks or woody debris thrown long distances at high speed by the machine's mulching head.
The work aims to break up the vertical and horizontal continuity of fuels, increasing the space between trees that remain by removing mostly smaller trees and shrubs. The thinning will reduce the opportunity for wildfire to climb from the ground into crowns of trees or pass from one tree to the next. These treatments increase firefighters' ability to safely engage fire and allow residents greater time to evacuate in the event of wildfire emergency.
Unit 303 includes 40.3 acres along the north side of Bear Mountain Road, about a half mile past the Bear Mountain Road/Cottage San Road split. Unit 304 includes 116.8 acres south of Bear Mountain Road, west of Bear Mountain Ranch. This work is part of the Bear Creek to Signal Peak Joint Chiefs project. The New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, Forestry Division, Socorro District is a key partner, assisting with project planning and implementation.
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and technology—and rooted in communities—the Forest Service connects people to nature and recreation opportunities. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, supports the nation's forest industry and energy needs, and operates the largest and most respected wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. By providing assistance to state and private landowners and working with Tribes and other partners, the Forest Service also helps steward an additional 900 million forested acres within the U.S.
Project Map
