Forest Service officials are hitting a pause on prescribed fires after a New Mexico burn escaped containment

Prescribed fires are often used to manage vegetation, reduce hazardous fuels near residential communities, minimize the spread of pest insects and diseases, improve habitat for threatened and endangered species and recycle nutrients, according to the Forest Service. They’re also essential tools in helping reduce the threat of extreme fires in the future.

The chief said prescribed fires go as planned in 99.84% of cases; in “rare circumstances, conditions change, and prescribed burns move outside the planned project area and become wildfires.”

A New Mexico prescribed fire becomes a wildfire

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised the forest service’s decision, and said while prescribed burns have their benefits, she pointed out “it is critical that federal agencies update and modernize these practices in response to a changing climate.”

“The situation unfolding in New Mexico right now demonstrates without a doubt the grave consequences of neglecting to do so,” she said, adding that extreme conditions are now much more prevalent.

The governor and her administration have also kept in regular contact with the state’s Indigenous communities regarding area wildfires, according to her office.

The Forest Service carries out an average of 4,500 prescribed fire projects each year, its chief said, adding “extensive planning occurs” before each one.

“Landscapes are analyzed for prescribed fire treatments and the effects on community well-being, vegetation, hydrology, threatened and endangered species and other values,” Moore said. “Extensive standard operating procedures to authorize prescribed fires include developing and coordinating a burn plan, site preparation, public notifications, weather and forecast monitoring and validation before a decision is made to go ahead.”