04/11/2026
An estimated 7 million acres in New Mexico have burned in wildfires over the last 26 years, but parts of that land will soon be planted with millions of baby trees developed to withstand a drier, warmer world.
How? The New Mexico Reforestation Center, a joint endeavor between The University of New Mexico - UNM, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico State University and the Forestry Division which breaks ground April 27.
The Center will boost production of seedlings from 300,000 to 1 million, then 5 million, once fully built out.
Director Jennifer Auchter, in a recent trip to the Hermit's Peak-Calf Canyon burned area, reflected on the Center's necessity.
“Four years later, there’s not much evidence of recovery on the mountains. Without manual replanting, those slopes become permanent hazards, unable to capture water and prevent erosion.
“We’re building the New Mexico Reforestation Center to change that,” she added, “specifically to scale our statewide seedling growing capacity and to meet the massive reforestation demand across the state.”
Read the full story: abqjournal.com/news/after-major-wildfires-new-mexico-foresters-aim-to-produce-5-million-climate-adapted-tree-seedlings-annually/3019235