Firewood Removal Reduces Wildfire Risk and Supports Taos County Households

Following a forest thinning project within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, approximately 60 cords of dead piñon and juniper have remained on the landscape. The wood poses a wildfire risk to neighboring properties and surrounding public lands in Taos County, particularly during a dry year, but the public cannot access it for firewood collection because of restrictions around sensitive infrastructure. Recognizing the urgent safety hazard, a staff member with the Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument reached out to LOR with an idea: hire a qualified conservation crew to remove the dead wood and distribute it to households in need. LOR’s funding will help the Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument hire a conservation crew to extract the piñon and juniper from the project site. The recovered firewood will then be distributed through Rocky Mountain Youth Corps’ established wood lot program, ensuring the material benefits local households during the winter months. Together, these efforts will reduce hazardous fuels on public lands while delivering a direct, practical benefit to Taos County residents who rely on firewood to heat their homes.