Ecosystem Services - Forest Guild

Valuing NM Ecosystem Services, from page 7MEMBERSHIPProfessional Membershipin the Forest Guild is open to allforest professionals whose work isdirectly related to the stewardshipand protection of forests,whether that work occurs throughon-the-ground management,policy, advocacy, or research.Other individuals who share aconcern for forests and forestry areinvited to participateas Supportingor Sustaining Members.Students are also encouragedto join and become involved.JOIN TODAYwww.forestguild.orgPhoto above by Mark L. WatsonWater QualityIn the high deserts of New Mexico, water isparticularly valuable because of its scarcity. In2006, the Rio Grande Basin (the largest riversystem in the state) received 29 percent of itswater from national forestlands. An estimated0.33 acre-feet per year of surface-waterflow originated from each acre of nationalforestlands in New Mexico. Expanding thatestimate by the 16.7 million acres of NewMexico forested land in 2000 (includingUSFS, private/Indian Trust, Bureau of LandManagement (BLM), state), as much as 5.5million acre-feet of water flows from NewMexico’s forests each year. At $17 per acre-foot,the value of water calculated in 2000 just for instream flow, New Mexico’s forests provide atleast $93.7 million dollars in clean water. Thecurernt value may be significantly more.Non-timber forest products & servicesNew Mexico’s forests provide numerous otherservices for which prices could be developedand some that are probably impossible toquantify. For example, piñon nut harvestingis important both culturally and economicallyin the Southwest. While the BLM charges only$.25/lb for piñon gathering, the nuts sell fornearly 100 times that in the retail market.PollinatorsNew Mexico recently passed a bill recognizingthe importance of pollinators, some of whichmake their homes in forests. Nationally, beespollinate $15 billion worth of crops, and otherinsects provide up to $57 billion in ecosystemservices through dung burial, pest control, andwildlife nutrition.CarbonNew markets are also being developed forecosystem services like carbon. It should bepossible to estimate a monetary value to the148 million tons of carbon stored in trees inNew Mexico’s forests, especially if new climatechange legislation escalates the price of carbon.The nuts and bolts of valuing forest carbonis explored in more depth in the article oncarbon forest offsets on page 8 in this issue.EducationAs outdoor learning laboratories, New Mexico’sforests provide a valuable educational servicefor numerous children through in-school andextracurricular programs. For example, 860,000boy scouts and others have visited the PhilmontScout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Outdoor,interactive education can increase student testscores, reduce discipline problems, increase teacherjob satisfaction, and build resource stewardship.Scenic vistasNew Mexico’s forests provide a backdrop for itsburgeoning film industry. “Most films do use thelandscape, the forest, the rangelands – and yes,without those – we would not get those films.” (LisaStrout, Director of the New Mexico Film Office,2009) So some portion of the $253 million spentby the film industry in New Mexico is due to thespectacular vistas and beautiful settings providedby forests.SpiritualityPerhaps the most difficult ecosystem service to puta monetary value on is the spiritual or religiousvalues that forests provide. As John Muir said“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, placesto play in and pray in, where nature may heal andcheer and give strength to the body and soul alike,”(The Yosemite p. 256). New Mexico’s mountainsare sacred to many of the Pueblos and NativeAmerican tribes of the region. For example, MountTaylor in west-central New Mexico was designateda Traditional Cultural Property in 2009.WISDOM summer 2010 / 12