[Volunteers_fosm] Fwd: NEWS RELEASE Prescribed Fire Planned on Sandia Ranger District - Cedro Unit – Pile Burning as early as Wednesday, February 4

[Michael Madden]

FYI

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: FS-Cibola PAO <SM.FS.CibolaPAO at usda.gov>
Date: Mon, Feb 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Subject: NEWS RELEASE Prescribed Fire Planned on Sandia Ranger District -
Cedro Unit – Pile Burning as early as Wednesday, February 4
To:


*NEWS RELEASE*

[image: Forest Service Shield]

*Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands *

2113 Osuna Road NE

Albuquerque, NM 87113

(505) 346-3900

www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola

www.facebook.com/cibolanf

https://x.com/cibola_nf







*Prescribed Fire Planned on Sandia Ranger District*

*Cedro Unit – Pile Burning*

*Favorable weather conditions in place for hazardous fuels reduction work*



*ALBUQUERQUE, NM – February 2, 2026 *– As previously announced, the Cibola
National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) is planning prescribed
fire pile burning operations on the Sandia Ranger District as early as
Wednesday, February 4 pending all required approvals. Once prescribed fire
operations are implemented, this work will continue as a multi-day
operation.

Pile burning is meant to treat slash, like branches, piled by thinning
crews with the aim of reducing flammable fuels. The decision to proceed
with each pile burn will depend on multiple factors, including snowpack,
air quality, ventilation, forecast weather and wind, and resource
availability. We use prescribed fire to help reduce overgrown vegetation to
help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from
wildfires.

Sandia Ranger District Prescribed Fire planned for:

Cedro Unit Prescribed Fire Piles: 15 acres of piles within the Cedro unit
in the Sandia Piles Prescribed Fire Plan. The pile burn area is in the
Manzanita Mountains. Cedro is located south FSRD 462, east of HWY 337.
Smoke may be visible from Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM.

This area may be closed to the public for several days during burn
operations for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all
prescribed fire areas before and during burns.

Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burn. For more
detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the
app. Smoke is expected to lift during the day, however, cooler overnight
temperatures may cause smoke to settle into low-lying areas surrounding the
burn location. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you
encounter smoke on the road.

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If
conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Stay informed about scheduled prescribed fires through InciWeb, New Mexico
Fire Information and on the Cibola NF & NGs website, Cibola Facebook and
Cibola X sites. We will notify county emergency management officials when
burning begins.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100
years brought people and communities together to answer the call of
conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in
communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other.
The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote
lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193
million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private
landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research
organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or
indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the
U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most
Americans live.








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