Forests Under Siege

---

June 11, 2021 – This month marks the ten-year anniversary of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, which burned 156,000 acres of the Jemez Mountains. At the time, Las Conchas was the largest fire in New Mexico’s recorded history.  

Here in New Mexico—and across the West—wildfire season is getting longer. Wildfires, bigger. And these trends will continue in our warming world. Between 1970 and 2020, New Mexico’s average annual temperature has risen by 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit—and forecasts show we’re in for more and more warming into the future.  

But wildfires aren’t the only problem spurred by rising temperatures and drought, which have even more impacts on our forests, including insect infestations.  

On this month’s episode of Our Land, we look at how climate change is altering New Mexico’s forests and what the future holds. 

Correspondent: Laura Paskus 

Guests: 
Daniel Denipah, Pueblo of Santa Clara    
Chad Brown, Pueblo of Santa Clara     
Lindsey Quam, New Mexico Forestry Division
Laura McCarthy, New Mexico Forestry Division 
John Formby, New Mexico Forestry Division  

For More Information:  

Our Land: After The Wildfires – New Mexico in Focus