The La Hara project covered 42,000 acres located around Taos Canyon in the Carson National Forest northeast of Taos, New Mexico. Elevations in the project area range from 7,000 to 10,000 feet and vegetation ranges from pinyon – juniper to ponderosa ping to mixed conifer, with spruce – fir at the highest elevations.

The communities within the Taos Canyon watershed have been designated as some of New Mexico’s “communities at risk.” Moreover, the entire project area has been identified as an extreme fire hazard area, with the largest percentage of land identified as Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) 3. Numerous communities are located adjacent to the project area, with one road used for ingress and egress.

The primary purpose of this project was to minimize the potential for running crown fire spread in the Taos Canyon area by combining treatments that target surface, ladder, and canopy fuel across the landscape – without a net increase of surface fuel loads – while addressing wildlife habitat, forest health, watershed restoration, and access issues. The study design included the use of the Integrated Forest Management System (INFORMS) process and the fire behavior model FARSITE. Project participants included members of the adjacent communities, interagency partners, and the Taos Pueblo Tribal Council.