The San Juan National Forest is proposing a fuels reduction project in the 2-3-2 landscape in the Valle Seco area. The initial proposal is to use targeted shrub mastication and forest thinning to reduce hazardous fuels and increase wildfire resilience on approximately 2,800 acres along Forest Service roads in the Valle Seco Area.

The purpose and need of this project is to:  1) create fuel breaks adjacent to Forest Service System roads to facilitate safer management of natural wildfire ignitions; 2) create conditions that will help facilitate prescribed burning across the landscape; 3) reduce the risk of high severity wildfire in forest vegetation across the landscape; and 4) create conditions that will facilitate protection of private residences and structures in the Wildland Urban Interface.  The overall effect of thinning and mowing treatments will be to increase to overall resiliency of forest vegetation to disturbances such as high severity wildfire, insect and disease, and drought.  Additionally, the proposed treatment will improve forage and habitat conditions for mule deer and elk that use the area as winter range.   

To read the full proposal click HERE.