All Hands All Lands Burn Team

Many hands make light work

All-Hands All-Lands Burn Team (AHAL) is a collaborative effort between The Nature Conservancy of New Mexico, the Rio Grande Water Fund, the Forest Stewards Guild, and many others to accelerate the return of fire to frequent fire ecosystems in the Water Fund landscape. The goal of AHAL is to get ahead of prescribed fire backlogs on federal, state, and tribal lands and support private landowner’s use of prescribed fire.

AHAL adds capacity to existing efforts and can serve as a stand-alone organization to complete burns with insured and qualified burn bosses. We mobilized seasonal burn teams consisting of a mix of contractors, staff, and volunteers and to amplify knowledge, skills, and abilities. Part of AHAL is engaging the public through stories, photos and opportunities for involvement, to raise awareness for forests and watersheds.

Recent accomplishments

Following years of work conducting analysis and treatments in a complex mix of ponderosa and pinon and juniper forests on State Trust Land near Penasco, NM the Copper Hill Rx continued the work of the 2017 Rio Trampas TREX and returned fire to these forests in June 2019. A diversity of collaborators came together over 5 days to complete 500 acres of burning with a wide range of fire effects that were appropriate for the diversity of forest types. This prescribed fire was a success in using a flexible team of diverse partners to get fire on the ground to benefit forests and the communities nearby and down stream.

Also in June 2019, All Hands All Lands Partners supported the Santa Fe National Forest on a 1350 acre burn near Tent Rocks in New Mexico. AHAL provided a fully staffed engine with partners from Chama Peak Land Alliance, and others to patrol active fire line on the burn.

The City of Santa Fe Fire Department and the Forest Stewards Guild used snowy conditions to burn 7 acres of piles in the Aztec Springs area of Santa Fe on January 30th, 2019. Burning these piles was the next step to reduce fuels after the City's wildland fire crews thinned the area near communities on the east side of Santa Fe. This work helped advance the goals of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition.