NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – As wildfires continue to rip across southern California, preparations are underway here in New Mexico ahead of what is expected to be a very active fire season. “We're doing a lot of planning and effort to be able to respond to every year and this year that we are currently,” said Jacob Nuttall, Regional Fire Director for the USDA Forest Service. “What the forecasts are is it's going to be pretty dry the months of February and March.” Story continues below Investigation: How tipster claims APD DWI corruption scheme worked Community: BCSO launching its ‘Drone as First Responder Program’ Crime: Vehicle that fled from police in New Mexico found struck by train Don't Miss: How to glimpse a parade of planets in the January night sky Because of how dry the state is and the types of fuels in the state’s forests, wildfires are more likely. “Our forests, our landscapes right now, in a lot of ways, they're unhealthy, meaning they have a lot bigger or a lot more fuel loading across those landscapes,” said Nuttall. The U.S. Forest Service said these preps are not new, in fact, they take place year-round in New Mexico. Those measures include prescribed burns. “Prescribed fire, we can actually take a large landscape, be able to implement fire across that landscape to reduce the hazardous fuels,” said Nuttall. “It gives us the opportunity to put firefighters in a better situation where they're a lot safer when responding to wildfire.” As for what people can do at home, the best way to stay prepared is to stay informed. “You can also get on Inciweb and so if you just Google it, you can see all the pertinent information of maybe some of the fires that we're dealing with within New Mexico,” said Nuttall. The forest service encourages you to also keep track of forest restrictions, and the fire danger in your area.