ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – If you’re walking along Bosque trails near the Rio Grande Nature Center, you’ll likely hear chainsaws and woodchippers. Crews are out there with the goal of preventing devastating wildfires. Some trails are expected to be closed until mid-April.
Officials warn that with extremely dry conditions ahead, the Rio Grande in the metro is likely to run dry again this summer. “And so that is scary for a lot of people, and it does increase the risk of a fire here,” said Dustin Chavez-Davis, the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Division Bosque Project Coordinator. “So we do need to do everything that we can in order to prevent that or to stop it as soon as we can.”
The Open Space Division launched its latest fire prevention project earlier this month. Phase one focuses on 18 acres of bosque near the Rio Grande Nature Center. “We’re selectively removing some of the invasive trees that are growing here that could contribute to a catastrophic fire,” said Chavez-Davis. He said they’re targeting Siberian Elms, Salt Cedar, and Russian Olives…