The funding in this agreement allows for the forest to supplement existing prescribed fire organizations with cooperator resources; provide for cross jurisdictional training and qualifications in…

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R3-Southwestern Region awarded Taos County a $148,420.75 Cooperative Agreement under the Good Neighbor Authority program (CFDA 10.691) on August 7, 2026, through July 1, 2031.

The award funds prescribed fire operations and fuels reduction work on Carson National Forest lands. Taos County will maintain and secure prescribed fire lines, monitor for and extinguish spot fires, deploy ignition tools to burn unit edges as directed, and construct fuelbreaks through thinning of small-diameter trees, slash clearing or chipping, hand fire line construction to bare soil, and material piling. These activities supplement existing prescribed fire organizations with cooperator resources, enable cross-jurisdictional training and qualifications in prescribed fire, and strengthen relationships essential for wildfire response and prescribed fire operations.

Work is performed in New Mexico. The award operates under Good Neighbor Authority, which authorizes the Forest Service to execute sole-source cooperative agreements with counties to conduct restoration services across jurisdictional boundaries. Taos County, operating through its Office of Community Development, is a local government recipient with an established portfolio of Forest Service wildfire management awards, including additional cooperative agreements under the Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes and Prescribed Fire/Fire Recovery programs on Carson National Forest.

The funding in this agreement allows for the forest to supplement existing prescribed fire organizations with cooperator resources; provide for cross jurisdictional training and qualifications in prescribed fire; strengthens relationships essential for wildfire response/prescribed fire operations; and allows for more opportunity to implement prescribed fire. Project activities involve maintaining and securing prescribed fire lines, ensuring they are safe, checking for and extinguishing any spot fires, and using ignition tools to burn along unit edges as directed. Additional tasks include building fuelbreaks by thinning small trees, clearing or chipping slash, constructing hand fire lines down to bare soil, and piling small-diameter material to support prescribed fire operations.