Hikers and campers, beware of falling trees: That's the message from Cibola National Forest officials in the Manzano Mountains. Trees that burned in the Ojo Peak, Trigo and Big Springs fires in 2007 and 2008 died and are rotting from the inside. Many trees are now falling in the burn areas. KOB Eyewitness News 4 got an exclusive look at the problem Monday where the Ojo Peak fire burned. We saw many trees that snapped and fell, while some that were standing were easily pushed to the ground. Arlene Perea with the Cibola National Forest told us, "If you're going to be out on a windy day like this you may want to think twice about whether you really want to be out in an area that's been nuked out, because trees are going to drop." The three fires burned about 25,000 acres, killing hundreds of thousands of trees. The Forest Service says many of them could fall for the next three to five years.
