April 28, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Bandelier National Monument, following direction in the 2000 National Fire Plan, resumed its prescribed fire program in 2007 in earnest. It conducted an 1800 acre burn very close to the Cerro Grande mountain where the prescribed fire in 2000 escaped. Since then they have conducted another fire in Frijoles Canyon and have plans for two more this year. Additionally they have an extensive pile burning program near Los Alamos.
All of these fires have been managed with interagency support and adequate personnel. Also the people at the Santa Fe National Forest who obstructed dispatch of resources at the Cerro Grande fire have retired and been replaced with those instructed to treat “fire as fire.”
I have written a book on the management of the Cerro Grande Fire from a professional perspective called Inferno by Committee. You can learn more at http://www.tomribe.com
Upper Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier after aerial ignition.
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