Prescribed Fire Helped Prevent a Major Wildfire Disaster in New Mexico

Paper: Prescribed fire, managed burning, and previous wildfires reduce the severity of a southwestern US gigafire

A major wildfire in New Mexico - the 2022 Black Fire - burned over 131,000 hectares of forest, but only 4% of the area burned at high severity. This is unusually low for a fire of that size, especially in a region where wildfires are becoming more intense and damaging.

Researchers looked at what made the difference. Their analysis showed that areas previously managed with prescribed burning or lower-severity wildfires were far more likely to escape serious damage.

Across the landscape, areas that had been "treated" - either by planned burns or past wildfires - saw 51% less high-severity fire than untreated areas. When the fire hit a previously treated area, the severity dropped by 21–55% within just 250 metres of the boundary.

What’s important is that these effects held even when accounting for weather and vegetation. In short, active land management made the biggest difference.

This study adds to growing evidence that well-planned fire use reduces the risk of extreme wildfire damage. By thinning fuel loads and changing fire behaviour, traditional techniques like prescribed burning can help return wildfires to a more natural, lower-impact role in the landscape.

Takeaway: Proactive land management - including traditional burning - is essential to protecting both ecosystems and rural communities from catastrophic wildfire.

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