USFS Seeks To Reduce Fire Risk near Torreon and Tajique
MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. — On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the U.S. Forest Service issued a press release stating that the federal agency is seeking public comment on a proposed forest management project in the Manzano Mountains. According to USFS Ranger Shawn Martin, the project would utilize tree thinning, prescribed burns, and reforestation to address wildfire risk and to restore ecological health in a section of the Cibola National Forest.
The Apache Canyon Fuels Reduction & Restoration Project would cover approximately 10,872 acres on the Mountainair Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest in Torrance County. The area lies east of the Rio Grande River Valley and west of the land grant communities of Tajique and Torreon, in the vicinity of USFS Road 55 (FS-55).
According to planning documents, the project seeks to reduce the potential for high-severity wildfires, particularly in areas near human development known as the wildland-urban interface. Forest officials also aim to improve the resilience of forest ecosystems to future disturbances by restoring more natural forest structure and composition.
The affected landscape forms part of a unique ecological region sometimes referred to as the “sky islands,” where isolated mountain ecosystems rise above the surrounding desert and grassland. Part of the goals of this project would be to restore the native flora in the area of FS-55, also near the site of the Big Spring Fire of 2008.
The Forest Service is currently in the scoping phase of the environmental review process. This stage allows the public to raise concerns or suggest alternatives before the agency prepares a more detailed environmental assessment or impact statement.
Residents, landowners, and other stakeholders (including hikers and other users of the trail systems in the area) have until June 16, 2025, to submit comments. According to the Forest Service, the most helpful comments are those that are specific, directly address the proposed actions, and include citations to supporting evidence.
Written comments can be mailed to:
District Ranger Shawn Martin
ATTN: Apache Canyon Fuels Reduction & Restoration Project
Mountainair Ranger District
P.O. Box 69
Mountainair, NM 87036
Electronic comments can be sent via email to: sm.fs.r3cibolamail@usda.gov
Oral comments may be submitted by phone during business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday) by calling 505-847-2990.
Additional project documents, including maps and treatment descriptions, are available on the Forest Service website at: www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/projects/67650
For more information, contact District Ranger Shawn Martin at shawn.a.martin@usda.gov.