SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – The Burro Mountains, a part of the Gila National Forest, are due to be hand-thinned beginning in mid-February. This undertaking is part of the Mulberry collaborative forest restoration project. Silver City District Ranger, Elizabeth Toney explains that the thinning promotes “new growth that is more nutritious and accessible to wildlife.”
Workers will be hand-cutting 125 acres in the Burro Mountains along the west side of Forest Ridge Road, just south of Red Rock Road and the work will pass through a portion of the Continental Divide Trail. The Forest Service asks the public to avoid the area and warns hikers to allow the sawyers plenty of room to work.
Firewood will be available for the public, although the Forest Service states that “cross-country vehicle travel to collect firewood is not allowed.” The wood that is slated to be cut includes mahogany, juniper, and pinon pine.
