Prescribed fire will burn slash piles north of Highway 35 west of North Star Road

MIMBRES, NM, July 1, 2024 – The Gila National Forest, Wilderness Ranger District is preparing to implement the 74-acre New Mexico Highway 35 Bravo prescribed fire project to burn slash piles. The project will occur in stages, beginning as early as July 8 and proceeding through the end of August as weather and fuels conditions and resource availability permit.

The project is located along the north side of New Mexico Highway 35, west of Forest Road 150 (North Star Road) and east of Lincoln Canyon in Grant County, New Mexico.

"The objective of this project is to reduce fuels and wildfire risk by removing piled fuels/slash resulting from past and ongoing thinning projects," said Wilderness District Ranger Brian Stultz. "The area will be signed and posted for public awareness."

Smoke will be visible from Highway 35 and may impact driving visibility, especially at night and in the early morning, but will normally decrease significantly as daytime weather prevails. Smoke will be monitored to ensure that the New Mexico Environment Department's Air Quality Bureau's regulations are met. The Forest Service is coordinating with New Mexico Environment Department and will follow smoke management guidelines. 

When smoke impacts are present, New Mexico Department of Health recommends that smoke sensitive individuals should reduce physical activity and stay indoors with windows and doors closed. For those who are unable to avoid smoke exposure, use of a particulate respirator mask can help. Additional air quality information and health protection measures are posted online at NM-Tracking - Fires, Smoke and Health. Real-time mapping of smoke and other air quality impacts is available at https://fire.airnow.gov /.For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .