Now residents who lost their homes are working with organizations and volunteers to help bring the forests back from black to green.

The Sherwood Forest community, west of Torreon, was one of the hardest-hit areas. Forty-five out of the nearly 70 homes lost in the fires were in Sherwood Forest, according to fire officials.

Carmen Ehlers and husband Bill lost everything in the Trigo Fire in early May of last year. All of their belongings were burned, and they lost two dogs and two large fish tanks full of fish.

The Ehlers moved back to Sherwood Forest into a modular home on Oct. 1. Carmen is thankful for the organizations, friends and family that helped them get to where they are now following the fire.

Now, out of their own pockets and with the help of donations, they are planting trees, grasses, shrubs and flowers.

"We've been up here for 30 years, and we won't let a fire run us out," she said.

There hasn't been a lot of activity back in Sherwood Forest, Ehlers said. Two full-time residents who lost their homes sold their property and are not coming back, she said.

There are about 10 full-time-resident homes in Sherwood Forest, and five were lost to Trigo. The majority of homes lost in Sherwood were occupied part time.

"A lot of part-timers don't seem to be doing much about it, at least not right now," she said.

Ehlers said the majority of part-time residents were older and probably couldn't clear their property. Residents can contact their soil and water conservation districts for help, according to Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District district manager Dierdre Tarr.

Ehlers is outside every day working to bring her property back to the life it once had.

"It's pretty damn sad," she said. "Especially if you've lived down here 30 years ... raised four children ... to remember what our forest looked like, to now. It's pretty damn sad when you're used to looking at big, beautiful trees, now big black trees." About 80 to 100 trees have been planted on their property, Ehlers said, everything from 4-inch seedlings to 5-foot trees.

"I'll get my place green again," she said. "I made that promise a year ago, and I'm working on it every day."

The soil and water conservation districts handed out 20 trees per landowner as well as grass seed, Ehlers said.

"A lot of what I had planted came back on its own," Ehlers said.

Gilbert and Ursula Torres were one of two families who lost their homes in the Ojo Peak Fire, which began Nov. 19, 2007, and burned almost 7,000 acres. Gilbert was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year and needed extra help to clear their land.

Tarr went to her board and asked for support.

Volunteer teams including community members worked to clear burned trees, stacking logs and wood-chipping slash.

The first volunteer workday was Dec. 6, the second Feb. 7. The district is planning another in April. The first workday garnered about 17 people, close to 10 the next time. Tarr said a majority came from a Mountainair community, Deer Canyon.

"Residents of Deer Canyon have been wonderful," she said. "We've been very fortunate the community has really stepped behind Gilbert and Ursula."

Brian Greene, Mountainair rancher and Claunch-Pinto board member, is volunteering with other thinning projects in the area as well as the Torres'. He uses his ranching equipment to pull piles of stacked logs apart to make it safe for woodcutters to come in.

There are benefits to clearing out burnt vegetation, Greene said. The wood can be stripped of burned bark, then used for firewood or construction materials.

"What surprises me is there hasn't been lot of interest to do this commercially," he said. "There is value in this wood and it's free — I'm surprised people weren't standing in line to get it."

Greene said he guessed people don't have the time or materials to come get the wood and work with it to make it ready to be sold. He has been using wood collected from the sites for ranch maintenance. He and another volunteer will be at the Torres home Friday to begin clearing the logs.

For more information about volunteering or about opportunities for firewood or wood for building, contact the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District at 847-2243.