The rangers of Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) have been busy this past month as the dry season brought two intense forest fires to two of their reserves in Mexico: Hoya Verde and El Jagüeycito.
Taming wildfires
The first fire began between the Hoya Verde and Jagüeycito reserves, burning through almost 5,000 acres (around 2,000 hectares) of temperate forest. Unfortunately the wind was strong and created a crown fire which burnt the canopy of the forest and was spread rapidly over the surface of the forest.
The GESG rangers led a team of workers and volunteers to the front of the fire with a brigade from the National Forestry Commission to try to control the burn, but the fire was eventually extinguished by a rainstorm.
Another fire ignited east of the Hoya Verde reserve, so rangers Abel Resendiz, whose position is funded by the Keepers of the Wild programme, and Miguel Flores joined the firefighting team before a storm once again came to their aid.
More information
Once land has been secured, ranger patrols and reserve maintenance are essential to keep the wildlife safe. To find out more about the management of the Sierra Gorda reserves, follow the field reports from rangers Abel and Leonel.