New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is applauding the U.S. Forest Service’s decision for a 90-day pause and review of prescribed fire operations on National Forest System lands. One of the major fires in the state began from a prescribed burn that got out of control.
“I am glad to hear that, following my conversation with U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service leadership earlier today, the Forest Service will implement a 90-day pause and review of prescribed burns on federal lands,” Lujan Grisham said in a release from her office.
The governor indicated she met with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore late last week “to discuss national forest management in New Mexico and advocate for additional federal assistance as multiple wildfires continue to burn across the state, including one that began as a federally prescribed burn that escaped containment,” according to the release.
She emphasized the need to study how to manage future prescribed burns using modern practices. “While we’re clear about the long-term importance of carefully studied and well-managed prescribed burns as tools to improve forest management, it is critical that federal agencies update and modernize these practices in response to a changing climate, as what used to be considered extreme conditions are now much more common – the situation unfolding in New Mexico right now demonstrates without a doubt the grave consequences of neglecting to do so,” the release said.
Lujan Grisham vowed to work with the Forest Service with input from all sectors of the community and state.
“New Mexico will continue to work with the Forest Service to ensure voices at the local level are heard as the agency re-evaluates how and when they conduct prescribed burns,” the governor said in the release. “I will continue to relentlessly pursue every available avenue for resources that make affected New Mexicans whole and prevents a tragedy like this one from happening again.”