Taos County reports about $2.25M spent and 2,600 acres treated in wildfire mitigation push

JR Logan, Taos County forest and watershed health program manager, told commissioners the county has implemented treatments guided by the 2022 Community Wildfire Protection Plan and has used multiple funding sources including Good Neighbor agreements, state grants and a green-corridor appropriation.

Logan said the county has spent "about $2,250,000" from those funding pots and has treated approximately "2,600 acres" in recent years. He described projects on the DH Lawrence Ranch that produced about 700 cords of wood delivered to Taos Pueblo and work in areas such as Taos Canyon and El Salto. Local contractors and community land-grant programs are executing much of the on-the-ground work; contractor Jamie Tedesco said his firm Woodsharks completed 70 acres at Valle Escondido and 21.5 acres above El Salto and employs seasonal workers locally.

Logan warned the commission that energy-release-component measures were unusually high for late January and that scientists expected significant wildfire potential by April without meaningful weather changes. He urged homeowners and Firewise communities to prepare, and commissioners asked staff to ensure federal funds (including the Good Neighbor agreement funds) remain available; Logan said the federal money was obligated and not at risk absent an act of Congress.