New Mexico Wildfire Information Home
Homepage for NM Wildfire Information
General Wildfire Information and Links
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NM State Forestry's Wildfire Alert Email
NM State Forestry Twitter Feed
NM Fire Info for current information on wildfires in New Mexico
http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/
Southwest Coordination Center for Wildfire information for New Mexico and Arizona
http://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/information/information.htm
InciWeb for additional information on wildfires in other western states
www.inciweb.org/
NM Fire News for latest information about closures and fire restriction in New Mexico
www.publiclands.org/firenews/NM.php
Wildfire Protection and Prevention
NM Forestry Divison - website with information about wildfire protection and prevention
www.emnrd.state.nm.us/FD/index.htm
Fire Safety Planning for Your Home www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ FD/FireMgt/FireProtectionHome.htm
Fire Prevention Tips for the outdoors
www.emnrd.state.nm.us//fd/ FireMgt/FirePrevention.htm
Living With Fire – a publication produced specifically for NM communities
allaboutwatersheds.org/library/general-library-holdings/NMLivingwFireOct.2008.pdf/view
Firewise – website with resources for and about Firewise communities by the National Fire Protection Association www.firewise.org/. This site has useful information for:
- Homeowners www.firewise.org/Information/Who-is-this-for/Homeowners.aspx
- Firefighters www.firewise.org/Information/Who-is-this-for/Firefighters.aspx
- Developers www.firewise.org/Information/Who-is-this-for/Designers-and-Developers.aspx
- Civic leaders www.firewise.org/Information/Who-is-this-for/Civic-Leaders.aspx
SWCC’s fire prevention information http://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/information/learn_more/prevention.htm
Ready Set Go
Ready, Set, Go! is a program to develop and improve dialogue between community fire departments and the residents they serve.
Fire-Resistant Plants
You can access information about all types of native plant materials, including plants for rehabilitating burned areas and fire-resistant plants for defensible space, by going to the following links.
NM Forestry Division publishes a list of fire-resistant plants http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/FD/Publications/FireResistantPlants.htm
NM Forestry Division’s Seedling Program https://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/FD/treepublic/default.htm
Website offers a list of available seedlings, color catalog, planting instructions, seedling care, order forms, order online.
NM Forestry Division documents about plant materials:
- Fire Wise Plant Materials
- Grass Seed Mixes to Reduce Wildfire Hazard
- Basic Guidelines for Seeding Native Grasses in Arid and Semi-Arid Eco-regions
- Plant Materials Center Offers Tips for Fall Planting of Native Shrubs
- New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Seedling Brochure
Los Lunas (NM) Plant Materials Center
The Los Lunas Plant Materials Center (PMC) is part of a nationally coordinated plant materials program operated by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. PMC develop the technology to produce native plants, install field plantings, and provide information to landowners, managers, and cooperators.
http://www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/pmc.html
National/New Mexico Plants Database Has downloadable profiles and plant guides about important conservation plants, nationally and by state.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/
NM Forest ReLeaf Program
NM Forestry Division’s annual grants program that funds community tree planting projects, up to $6,000, with a required 20% in-kind match. The annual grant guidelines are available in April and due in August each year.
https://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/FD/ReLeaf/Releaf.htm
Burned Area Rehabilitation
Colorado State Forest Service – Post-fire rehabilitation information http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/post-fire-rehab.html
Learn about some common emergency rehabilitation practices:
Fact sheets offering additional information:
- Vegetative Recovery after Wildfire
- Soil Erosion Control after Wildfire
- Insects and Diseases Associated with Forest Fires
Arizona Wildfire Recovery Tips
http://www.az.nrcs.usda.gov/news/releases/Arizona-Wildfire-Recovery-Tips.html
As more homeowners move into rural areas to get away from crowded urban areas, they can unknowingly place themselves in harm’s way. Building homes in wooded and/or brushy areas is aesthetically pleasing, but homeowners need to be aware of the potential dangers from wildfire and how to protect their homesites from wildfires. Homes that are even far away from a fire can still be impacted.
The potential for severe soil erosion exists after a wildfire because as a fire burns it destroys plant material and the litter layer. Shrubs, forbs, grasses, trees, and the litter layer break up the intensity of severe rainstorms. Plant roots stabilize the soil, and stems and leaves slow the water to give it time to percolate into the soil profile. Fire can destroy this soil protection.
There are several steps to take to reduce the amount of soil erosion. A landowner, using common household tools and materials, can accomplish most of these methods in the aftermath of a wildfire.
Topics include:
- Wildfire risk reduction and recovery tips for homeowners
- Seedling information for homeowners in SE Arizona and the Wallow Fire area
- Burned area rehabilitation practices
- Burlap bag check dams
- Drainage tips
- Reseeding and establishing ground cover
- Straw mulching
- Jute netting
- Sandbag protection
- Silt fence
- Straw bale check dams
- Straw bale dikes
- Vegetation establishment for soil protection
The website also has flood preparedness guides for Apache and Coconino Counties. While the contact information is specific to resources in those areas, the general information about emergency planning, weather service alerts, preparing for flooding, public health tips and home protection measures is relevant across the Southwest.
NRCS’ Emergency Watershed Protection Programs (EWP)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the EWP Program, which responds to emergencies created by natural disasters, such as wildfires and floods. Funding for the program is provided through emergency congressional appropriations.
- New Mexico http://www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/ewp.html
- Arizona http://www.az.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/index.html
- Montana http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/eng/ewp/index.html
The websites have technical information about:
- Contour Log Felling
- Contour Scarification
- Erosion Control Netting
- Mulching
- Protect Your Home
- Revegetating After Wildfires
- Salvage Merchantable Trees
- Sandbag Barrier
- Silt Fence
- Straw Bale Check Dam
- Stream Channel Conductivity
- Wildfire Burn Severity Classification
- Wildfire Rehabilitation Assistance: What can you do to protect your home and property after a wildfire?
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Program
- The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program
(BAER) is an emergency response, not a long- term rehabilitation program. Its primary objectives are to identify significant post-fire threats. If necessary and feasible, actions that have been proven to be effective are undertaken BEFORE a significant damaging weather event to manage unacceptable risks.
Hydrophobic Soils - Information about Hydrophobic Soils that form in the wake of wildfires: Hydrophobicity. Soil Quality Technical Note available under Soil Quality Publications on the Soil Quality Institute web page.
