Enchanted Circle Landscape

landscape view of green trees going up a mountainside — The Camino Real Ranger District on the Carson National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo.

Carson National Forest staff and partners are implementing the Wildfire Crisis Strategy to address the crisis in the places where it poses the most immediate threats to communities. In Northern New Mexico, funding from federal legislation is making a historic investment across what’s called the Enchanted Circle Landscape.

The landscape covers 1.5 million acres of land managed by the Forest Service, tribes, state government and thousands of private land owners. Much of the landscape is within some of the highest-risk firesheds in the nation.

The strategy calls for a science-based approach to make a measurable impact in reducing wildfire risk. Instead of scattering treatments across the landscape, staff and partners are using data to inform where we can make the biggest difference.

About the Landscape

The Enchanted Circle Landscape covers 1.5 million acres in and around the Carson National Forest's Camino Real and Questa ranger districts within Taos and Colfax counties. It's home to a UNESCO World Heritage site (Taos Pueblo), the tallenst peak in New Mexico (Wheeler Peak) and wilderness areas.

Land Ownership within the landscape is approximately:

47% - Private Land
35% - Carson National Forest
8% - Tribes
7%- State of New Mexico
3% - Bureau of Land Management

Most of the landscape is within high-risk firesheds, which are areas of about 250,000 acres in which an ignition can spread and expose communities to wildfire.

An interactive map showing the landscape and firesheds is available.

Projects

Piles of woody debris burn in a pine forest. — Piles burn in 2024 as part of the Rio Trampas Project. USDA Forest Service photo.

Carson National Forest staff and partners are implementing and planning work within the Enchanted Circle Landscape. To protect communities and natural resources, they are restoring healthy, resilient, fire-adapted forests by using mechanical thinning and returning beneficial fire in these landscapes.

Current Work

In winter 2024, fire crews are pile burning throughout the landscape.

2024 Prescribed Fire Accomplishments To Date

McCrystal Rock (Valle Vidal): 4,076 acres

Kiowa-San Cristobal: 29 acres

Taos Ski Valley: 126 acres

Ojo Sarco: 137 acres

Rio Trampas: 180 acres

Total: 4,548 acres

*Based on the 2024 federal fiscal year, which begins October 1.

Projects

Rio Trampas
Kiowa-San Cristobal Wildland Urban Interface
Highway 150 Corridor Wildland Urban Interface
Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon and Luna Post-Fire Recovery
Valle Vidal
Mayordomo Program
McGaffey Forest and Rio Grande del Rancho Watershed Restoration
Pueblo Ridge

Planning

Staff and partners are developing proposals throughout the landscape. On Forest Service land, proposals will be analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Partners

A Forest Service employee in uniform talks to people sitting at a table. — Partners meet in May 2023 to discuss the Enchanted Circle Landscape. USDA Forest Service photo.

The success of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy relies on strong cross-boundary collaborations leading to reduced risk from wildfire. Partners are working together across the Enchanted Circle Landscape. They include*: