Prescribed Burns West of Ruidoso

Ruidoso, NM – Feb. 7, 2022—The Smokey Bear Ranger District on the Lincoln National Forest is planning to conduct prescribed burns in the Grindstone and Perk Canyon areas west of Ruidoso as early as Tuesday, February 8. Prescribed burning will continue throughout winter and spring as conditions allow.

Crews will begin by targeting areas in Indian Canyon and will expand further into the units over the coming months. The prescribed burns will include broadcast burning and pile burning, depending on the location.

Prescribed burning provides many benefits and is essential to maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. It provides habitat diversity, recycles plant nutrients into the soil, and encourages new growth for various plants which improves forage for animals. Prescribed burning also reduces the threat of large-scale wildfire impacts by removing excess wood on the forest floor and removes ladder fuels which can cause wildfires to climb to the tops of trees.

Smoke may be visible in the Grindstone Lake area, Ruidoso and along Carrizo Canyon Rd. and Hwy 70. Although smoke from prescribed fire can still be a nuisance, it is usually for a shorter time and considerably less smoke than wildfires produce.

Fire updates will be posted here, on the Lincoln National Forest website and on the Lincoln National Forest Facebook and Twitter pages.