Parts of 2 forests being reseeded

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Loads of grass seeds and straw mulch are being scattered by helicopters in a hurried revegetation effort for areas in the Gila and Lincoln national forests that were blackened by wildfires this summer.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Forest Service officials hope that the areas most susceptible to heavy erosion will sprout new grass in a bid to reduce the risk of downstream flooding.

Ordinarily, forest areas designated wilderness aren't treated after a fire, but the Forest Service made exceptions in both forests due to the threat to downstream communities.

In the Gila National Forest, the Whitewater-Baldy fire had burned 297,845 acres and destroyed a dozen homes in the Willow Creek area, making it the largest fire in New Mexico history as measured in burned acreage.

In Lincoln County, the Little Bear fire in the White Mountain Wilderness had scorched 44,330 acres, more than three-fourths in the Lincoln National Forest. The blaze several miles north of Ruidoso destroyed 254 structures, 242 of them residences, making it one of the most devastating in state history.

The $13.2 million rehabilitation effort in the Gila included the aerial seeding of 26,200 acres of severely burned land, designed to stabilize soil in the watersheds of three creeks and the upper headwaters of the West and Middle Forks of the Gila River.

Since seeding was completed July 21, helicopters flown by a private contractor have been scattering thousands of bales of straw over 15,000 acres to help stabilize the soil and the growth of grass.

Last week, two helicopters took turns hauling straw mulch that were dropped over terrain blackened by the Whitewater-Baldy fire. By next week, as many as eight helicopters will be making straw drops, as the Forest Service hopes to wrap up the project before heavy rains fall directly on severely-burned slopes.

A contractor is in the process of spreading a weed-free mix of grass seed over 19,211 acres of the Lincoln, along with a straw mulch to coat about 10,241 acres. Weather permitting, the roughly $8 million Lincoln project should be finished by next weekend.

In addition, federal authorities started dropping grass seed over 1,500 acres of private land in areas north of Ruidoso that sustained moderate to severe damage from the Little Bear fire, said Lincoln County spokeswoman Michele Caskey.

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Information from: Albuquerque Journal