Annual Report 3 - New Mexico - Energy, Minerals and Natural ...

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On a much smaller scale, cordwood boiler installations are increasingly popular for heating small buildings and
greenhouses throughout the state because of the technology’s simplicity and greater economics.
Forestry, along with the State of Arizona, administers the Southwest Sustainable Forest Partnership (SWSFP). The
SWSFP was created to develop value-added products from underutilized coniferous species in New Mexico and
Arizona. Traditionally, these species were characterized as being of a lower grade than other forest resources and
as having little economic value. The SWSFP’s goal is to develop an environmentally and economically sustainable
forest and wood products industry utilizing small diameter materials removed during forest thinning and restoration
treatments. The SWSFP is dedicated to addressing the ecological, economic and social effects of creating sustainable
community and tribal-based forest and wood products enterprises in the Southwest.
FIRE PLANNING TASK FORCE: The Forestry-led New Mexico Fire Planning Task Force (Task
Force) facilitates the creation and implementation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs). CWPPs act
as guides for wildfire prevention and preparedness for a single community or even an entire county. The plans identify
hazardous fuels treatment areas and recommend measures to improve building codes for protection against wildfire
and are developed collaboratively among community residents, community leaders and government agencies.
Forestry provides consultation and follow-up training for the community leaders generating the plans. The
Communities at Risk Assessment Plan identifies areas most vulnerable to wildfire. During 2010, the SWSFP added
43 new communities to the list bringing the total number of at risk communities to 600. Two hundred and eightyone
(281) communities are rated at high risk, 214 at moderate risk and 105 at low risk of wildland fire. There are
now 57completed CWPPs statewide.
FIRE MANAGEMENT: 2010 was a relatively mild year for wildland fire across much of the state.
Thanks to plentiful winter and spring moisture, the number of wildfires and the subsequent acreage burned was
down considerably from previous years. However, a lighter than usual return of monsoonal, or seasonal rainfall left
the state with high fire danger for the fall and winter.
For calendar year 2010, 411 fires burned approximately 55,868 acres on state and private land. By way of
comparison, during calendar year 2009, 735 fires burned approximately 373,372 acres. In fiscal year 2011, which
began since July 1, 2010, there have been 176 fires that burned 12,129 acres. Wildland fire incidents are reflected by
the location map in the Data and Statistics section of this report.
RESOURCE REHABILITATION AND PROTECTION: Forestry works with private
landowners, and state and federal agencies to protect land from future development that could harm the landscape.
Through various incentive programs, landowners can place large tracts of land into conservation easements that allow
them to retain ownership while protecting it.
ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT