No, it’s not juniper pollen, not yet, but smoke from a prescribed burn is predicted to spread over a wide area.
The Santa Fe National Forest fire managers are preparing to conduct a prescribed burn above the Jemez Valley, on Virgin Mesa. If fuel moisture levels and air quality conditions are favorable, the burn will start to take place on Monday, Feb. 23, and last through to the end of March. The burn will take place a mere 1 mile away from “downtown” Jemez Springs, and will take in about 450 acres.
The Forest Service promises to treat small blocks at a time to decrease the daily smoke volume. Smoke from this burn will be visible and sniffable in Jemez Springs, Jemez Pueblo, Cañon, Sierra los Piños, San Ysidro, Zia Pueblo, and even as far as Bernalillo and Rio Rancho. The Forest Service warns that visiblity on N.M. Highway 4 and on U.S. Highway 550 may be poor at certain times.
The Santa Fe National Forest are also planning to manage another burn, at the same dates, on the Los Alamos Open Space lands in Bayo Canyon. This burn will take in about 150 acres, and the smoke from it is most likely to drift in an easterly direction, toward Santa Fe, Santa Clara and Espñola.
Anyone with respiratory problems or smoke sensitivity is advised to take special care. Good information on protecting your health can be found