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Forest Service updates on Stoner Mesa patrols, prescribed burns and feral horse removals
Summary
Forest Service staff reported continued patrol and suppression repair on the Stoner Mesa fire, planned prescribed burns and restoration work, and provided an update on feral horse removals and counts on public lands and canyon areas.
Forest Service staff briefed commissioners on fire suppression repairs and restoration work following the Stoner Mesa fire, upcoming prescribed burns and a multi‑year effort to remove feral horses from public lands.
A Forest Service representative said the agency continues patrol and suppression repair work on Stoner Mesa and that smokes have been observed even after significant rain, indicating residual heat in the landscape. The district completed over 3,000 acres of restoration earlier in the spring and planned additional prescribed burns (about 1,600 acres on Salter Landscape and 1,500 acres on the east end of Baggetraw), weather dependent.
The district contracted about 5,000 acres of restoration work for the year (including Aspen and Ponderosa Pine treatments) and described a 33‑acre applied restoration trial to look at restoration timing and potential snow‑melt benefits for water retention.
On feral and trespass horse management, the Forest Service said it has removed about 60 animals since 2021 and this year removed 13 horses; recent indirect roundup activity on nearby tribal lands reduced horse counts in some areas. The Forest Service reported a reduction in horses on Canyon of the Ancients and noted coordinated fence repairs and cattle‑guard cleanups to limit future movements; earlier local counts suggested about 165–200 animals, with recent counts putting some areas around 95–120 animals after recent activity.
The Forest Service invited commissioners to meet the new forest supervisor and to discuss landscape restoration priorities; no county action was requested at the workshop.
