Dry Winter Sparks Fire Concern
Posted on: Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 06:00 CST
By Phaedra Haywood, The Santa Fe New Mexican
Mar. 1--People in Pecos talk about the summers of 2000 and 2002 the way veterans talk about old wars.
Both years brought forest fires and forest closures in the area.
In 2,000 the Vivash Fire scorched nearly 30,000 acres. In 2002 the Dalton, Trampas and Roybal fires burned about 7,000 acres collectively.
The fires brought smoke, heat and ash and kept people from enjoying the cool refuge of the national forests.
For some they also brought financial hardship. Businesses that rely upon tourists for the majority of their income were hit hard.
Near the end of one of the driest winters on record, there is concern that summer will bring fires and the forest closures meant to prevent them.
"In 42 winters here I've never seen it anywhere near this dry," said Frank Collins, who owns a tree farm in Pecos Canyon.
Collins' daughter Patricia Long recently opened a bed and breakfast nearby, and she's worried that fires or forest closures could interfere with her first season of business.
Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District manager Joe Reddan said Monday that measurements used to predict fire danger paint a dire picture for the upcoming tourist season.
The Energy Release Component numbers for February indicate that fire danger is "very high," he said.
ERC numbers measure the moisture level of dead and standing fuels and are used to predict the probability of fires. They are rated on a scale of 1 to 100, with 35 constituting moderate fire danger, 55 high fire danger, 75 very high fire danger and 83 extreme fire danger, Reddan said.
This year's numbers -- right now around 76 -- are "eerily parallel to the numbers in 2002," he warned.
An ERC of 76 is "amazing for February." If current dry, windy weather trends continue, the forests will be under restrictions by mid-March and could be under full or partial closures by May or June, Reddan said.
In an effort to mitigate harm to local businesses, Reddan has suggested local politicians and residents collaborate with the Forest Service to determine which individual campgrounds might safely stay open in the event of full or partial forest closures.
This group will include representatives from the Pecos Business Association, the U.S. Forest Service, local fire departments, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, San Miguel County and the Village of Pecos. It will meet at the Field Tract Campground on N.M. 63 in Pecos Canyon at 1 p.m. Monday.Conclusions reached by the group won't be the final word on what stays open, Reddan said, but they will allow him to make recommendations to the forest leadership team.
Contact Phaedra
Haywood at 986-3004 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.
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Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican
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