All Hands All Lands Pile Burn Squad 2021-2022
A Transboundary Approach to Forest Restoration
The All Hands All Lands Burn Team (AHAL) is a collaborative effort to accelerate the return of fire to the frequent-fire ecosystems in the Rio Grande Water Fund landscape. AHAL accomplishes this by providing support in all phases of prescribed burning including planning, training, and implementation on private and public land. AHAL is a partnership between the Forest Stewards Guild , The Nature Conservancy of New Mexico , the Rio Grande Water Fund , the Ember Alliance , and many others.
Rio Grande Water Fund
AHAL works within the Rio Grande Water Fund which encompasses over 1.6 million acres. The goals of the RGWF are to restore forested watersheds, mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and provide clean water for wildlife and nearly 1 million New Mexicans.
Vigil Grant pile burn supported by AHAL in 2022.
This season, despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the full-time squad was able to successfully complete its second winter season working with partners on prescribed burns across northern New Mexico. The three-person squad worked alongside federal, tribal, and additional call-when-needed firefighters to burn 988.25 acres of private and public lands.
Having the small and professional squad staffed with a Type 6 engine allowed burn windows to be utilized on short notice, important forest thinning projects to be done quickly, and provided essential training for new firefighters.
Burn Accomplishments
The Pile Squad participated in a total of 8 burns on private and public lands during the 2022 winter season culminating in:
- 102.25 acres of piles burned on private land
- 888 acres of piles burned to support our federal land management partners
- 5 federal and tribal burns supported by the AHAL Pile Squad
Training Accomplishments
The AHAL Pile Squad was not just burning this year. The Squad, along with Guild staff, organized and led two S-130 Field Days.
Both Field Days led to 21 new firefighters trained.
The Squad also helped with the administration of the Work Capacity Test (WCT), a wildland firefighter fitness requirement.
Other Project Accomplishments
The Pile Squad not only burned hundreds of acres in the 2022 season, but also supported essential thinning and research projects.
Throughout the winter season, the Squad thinned 3 acres in the Carson National Forest to support the Rio de Las Trampas Forest Council's restoration program.
In December of 2021, the Squad was able to assist the Las Vegas Ranger District on the Santa Fe National Forest in clearing and reopening approximately 7 miles of Forest Service Rd 263 and El Porvenir Campground after a windstorm brought 50+ trees down across the road.
The Squad also assisted Santa Fe County by placing 17 erosion control waddles around identified pinyon pines on Thornton Ranch. The research explores moisture retention solutions for the climate stressed pinyon pine population that provides the main source of food for the vulnerable Pinyon Jay species.
Private Land Burns
The Pile Squad with support from other AHAL collaborators burned 102.25 acres on private land. These burns were fully planned, completed and burn bossed by the Forest Stewards Guild.
01 / 03
1
Glorieta Adventure Camps Pile Burn
2
Rancho del Ojo Pile Burn
3
Ortiz Pile Burn
Glorieta Adventure Camps
The Squad, along with the grounds crew from Glorieta Adventure Camps, burned 70.75 acres adding to the 55 completed in 2020/21.
These burned units build on past treatments to build a more resilient ecosystem.
This year, the grounds crew members were an essential part of accomplishing the burn objectives over the five burn days. They not only ignited piles, but also assisted with mop-up and patrol days after the initial burns.
Glorieta grounds members received on-the-ground training on gridding, firing techniques, mop-up, and safety to build their capacity to burn their own projects in the future.
Caiden McCalip lighting a pile at Glorieta Adventure Camps.
Rancho del Ojo
Located west of Coyote, the Forest Stewards Guild provided the burn team for a private landowner aiming to encourage natural regeneration of trees and grass on their parcel of land bordering the Forest Service.
The Pile Squad, in partnership with Tesuque and Santa Clara Pueblos, burned 21.5 acres reducing fuel loading to improve the overall ecological function and wildlife habitat.
Ortiz Pile Burn
One of the smallest burns the Squad led this year, located just off of Highways 64 and 162 in Tierra Amarilla, was 8 acres of thinned private property. Though there were fewer acres of piles, the 10 inches of snow covering each pile posed a challenge for efficient burning.
The AHAL Squad, along with call-as-needed firefighters, utilized hand tools and a weed burner to create enough heat to burn the piles with the excess snow. Through two burn days, the Squad was able to provide essential reduction of hazardous fuels to protect structures on-site and neighboring private land for the landowner.
Partner Burns
In addition to planning and implementing three private land projects, the AHAL Pile Squad supported five additional partner burns throughout the Rio Grande Water Fund.
01 / 05
1
Cordovas Pile Burn
The first partner burn of the year was on the Coyote Ranger district. The Pile Squad joined other partners and agencies to complete 157 acres of aged machine piles. This burn aimed to reduce fuel loading and reduce the catastrophic fire potential on the Mesa Poleo/Cordovas private properties.
2
Pacheco Canyon Pile Burn
Working with the Española Ranger District, the Squad along with Santa Clara Pueblo assisted in burning 443 acres of piles to reduce the possibility of high severity fire threatening the En Medio and Pacheco watershed. This project was a high priority area located near the fire scar of the 2020 Medio fire that greatly impacted surrounding communities.
3
Vigil Grant Pile Burn
The Squad along with Santa Clara Pueblo also burned 111 acres of piles on the neighboring Pueblo of Tesuque owned Vigil Grant land. In partnership with the Forest Service, the Pueblo of Tesuque aimed to restore fire resiliency and ecosystem function across shared watershed landscapes.
4
Cerro Seco Pile Burn
The Pile Squad assisted the Valles Caldera National Preserve twice with the remaining piles on the steep slopes of Cerro Seco. The pile burns this year complete the needed treatments for a planned broadcast burn in the spring or fall of 2022-23.
5
San Antonio Pile Burn
In addition to the piles completed on Cerro Seco, the Pile Squad completed 80 acres of pile burning on San Antonio Mountain alongside firefighters from Jemez Pueblo. The burn aimed to reduce hazardous fuel loading within the Valles Caldera National Preserve and provides habitat protection for Mexican spotted owls.
The second season of the AHAL Pile Squad was a huge success. Not only did the Squad burn tens of thousands of piles and provide countless hours of quality training, but AHAL forged new connections with local fire managers and landowners across New Mexico, which will lead to future fire restoration initiatives.
The All Hands All Lands Burn Team is gearing up for the 2022-23 season of AHAL and the Pile Squad.
To learn more about the AHAL Burn Team and find out how you can be involved visit: https://facnm.org/all-hands-all-lands-burn-team.
Or contact Sam Berry at sam@forestguild.org
To read more about the Pile Squad's 2022 accomplishments, follow the links below.
A Friendly Forest Fire. Albuquerque Journal. Published 16 January 2022 https://www.pressreader.com/usa/albuquerque-journal/20220116/282110639973053
Fire & Ice. Santa Fe Reporter. Published 03 February 2022 https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2022/02/03/fire-and-ice/
NM Focuses on Prescribed Fire, Restoration Efforts. Albuquerque Journal. Published 20 February 2022 https://www.abqjournal.com/2472243/burning-mission-ex-nm-agencies-focus-on-prescribed-fire-reforestati.html
