New Mexico Forestry Division redirects seedling program to fire-damaged forests

The Seedlings for Reforestation program will prioritize ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and other high-demand seedlings for burned areas beginning this fall.

Organ Mountain News report

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Forestry Division plans to redirect high-demand tree seedlings to fire-damaged forests beginning this fall as the state works to restore areas that may not regenerate naturally after severe wildfires.

The division’s new Seedlings for Reforestation program will prioritize species such as ponderosa pine and Douglas fir for areas damaged by fire. The division said the program aims to reduce long-term erosion, flooding and watershed damage in high-severity burn areas.

The program will match seed sources to planting sites and offer technical support for planting and long-term monitoring. The division also will hold one annual seedling distribution event each fall, which it described as the optimal planting season.

“With limited seedlings and a changing climate, we need to prioritize getting the right tree to the right place at the right time,” State Forester Laura McCarthy said in a news release. “We need to think about how the landscape functions and act with urgency. Our new Seedlings for Reforestation program aims to do exactly that.”

The Conservation Seedling Program has distributed millions of trees since the 1960s for conservation projects including streambank restoration, erosion control and wildlife habitat improvement, according to the division. The agency said seedlings sell out quickly each year.

The Forestry Division said more than 7 million acres have burned across New Mexico this decade, leaving large high-severity burn scars where forests cannot naturally regenerate and flooding continues to threaten communities.

“In 2020, we set the goal of reforesting burned areas with trees that will thrive in the climate conditions a century from now,” Reforestation Program Manager Gwen Wion said in the release. “With this reconfigured program, we are directing seedlings to where they will have the greatest impact.”

More information about program updates and ordering is available through the Forestry Division’s Conservation Seedlings page.