NEW MEXICO—In December 2023, the Gila National Forest teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to execute the first prescribed fire project under a master participating agreement between the two organizations for prescribed fire and fuels management. This keystone agreement, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, invests in fuels and forest health treatments that protect at-risk communities from wildfires. It builds upon two decades of partnership between TNC and the USDA Forest Service, encouraging further cooperation and exchange of resources to reduce hazardous fuels on National Forest System lands within the wildland-urban interface.

The Wildfire Crisis Strategy calls for the Forest Service to quadruple hazardous fuels and prescribed fire treatments on western landscapes by Sept. 30, 2031, to change the trajectory of catastrophic wildfires. The need for collaboration on prescribed fire and fuels treatments between forest units, across agency boundaries and in partnership with organizations like TNC is more important than ever.

For the December project, a 20-person prescribed fire crew from TNC joined fire crews from Conservation Corps New Mexico and the Gila, Apache-Sitgreaves and Cibola national forests to carry out the 550-acre Meekins Prescribed Fire. This project included first- and second-entry prescribed fire in ponderosa pine and piñon/juniper mesa tops with grass understory. A portion of the unit included slash from a thinning contract.

“This entry was intentionally on the cool end of the prescription due to the proximity of the 80-acre Indian Springs Ranch private inholding adjacent to the north end of the burn unit,” said Wilderness District Fire Management Officer Aaron Jones. “We identified positive fire effects, especially in the pine and on drier south-facing slopes and grassy mesa tops, where mortality of encroaching juniper was observed. Overall, this entry of fire moves us closer to natural conditions and goes a long way to reduce the risk of high severity fire near the private property.”

Fire effects monitoring found a range of 30% to 80% reduction of grasses, pine duff, 100-hour and 1,000-hour fuels to variable degrees across the unit. Observed scorch and char up to five feet in height achieved understory and midstory piñon and juniper mortality objectives. Slash piles in the thinned portion of the burn unit were effectively consumed. Critically, all safety and operational objectives were met and the burn remained within planned project boundaries with minimal smoke impacts on local communities.

The prescribed fire project provided great opportunities for training for staff from TNC, Conservation Corps New Mexico and the Forest Service at all organizational levels. The project included several trainee positions, allowing the Forest Service and TNC to further develop skills, strategies and capacity. Collaborative opportunities like shared implementation and training opportunities will better prepare the organizations, their local partners and local communities for future success implementing prescribed fire and living in fire-adapted ecosystems.

“This burn was truly an example of team effort, as many people took part in some aspect of its success, from planning and preparing through implementation. From forest level support in getting regional resources committed and agency administration to all of the dispatchers’ hard work to make these burns possible, no one part is more important than another—they are all necessary to the success of the prescribed fire program,” said Jones.

That sentiment sums up the whole reason for the keystone agreement. Only by working together will it be possible to achieve our shared goals brought forth in the “Wildfire Crisis Strategy.”

Editor’s Note: In addition to this project, the Gila National Forest reduced hazardous fuels on over 150,000 acres in 2023, more than any national forest in the Southwest.