Fire Restrictions – This Means You, Most Likely
by John Weckerle
We have received word from Arlene Perea at the Mountainair Ranger District that the State Forester has imposed fire restrictions on non-municipal, non-federal, and non-tribal lands in most New Mexico counties, including those in the New Mexico Central area. Smoking is prohibited outdoors in most cases, and fireworks (except where approved by local fire departments as part of a public exhibit) are prohibited in all wildland areas. Campfires, for the most part, are also prohibited. Open burning, with some exceptions, is also prohibited, as is flaring of gas, again with some exceptions. For a complete list of restrictions and exceptions, see the State Forestry Announcement.
Please be careful out there; it’s dry, it’s windy, and there are areas that have some pretty serious fuel loads. For more information on fire protection, see the New Mexico State Forestry Division web site, especially the Fire Management section. Also have a look at the East Mountain Interagency Fire Protection Association web site, which has locally-oriented information and links to a variety of useful publications on fire preparedness and prevention.