Recovery from the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire has been daunting. Residents are still waiting for disaster relief payments even as floods sweep through the ashy burn scar, contaminating the drinking water downstream. And then there’s the forest itself: in desperate need of new trees but lacking the necessary seedlings.
Wildfires have burned 7 million acres across New Mexico since 2000, and millions of seedlings are needed to replant the burned areas. The Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire alone, the largest in state history, needs 17.6 million seedlings. Trees play an integral role in restabilizing burned hillsides and protecting the drinking water sources below them. But current reforestation facilities lack the capacity to keep up with demand, creating a dire shortage. Experts estimate it would take 50 years to replant the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon burn scar at current rates.
That’s where the New Mexico Reforestation Center comes in. Conceived in 2022 as a collaboration between the state Forestry Division, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, and... Read more
