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

The New Mexico Forest Legacy Program, a federally funded program, acquired one perpetual conservation easement
on 2,880 acres of private forested land in Catron County. This conservation easement was purchased through a
combination of $192,770 in state funding and $600,000 in federal grants.
Forestry and the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department jointly conducted a workshop on conservation
easement appraisals, which gave continuing education credit to general appraisers.
INMATE WORK PROGRAM: Forestry’s Inmate Work Camp Program was established in 1997 for
the purpose of conducting forest heath/urban interface projects on public land in New Mexico. The crews are also
trained to conduct wildfire suppression activities and function as an efficient, cost effective resource for New Mexico.
In cooperation with the New Mexico Corrections Department, the inmate crews consist of 10-12 minimum security
inmates transported to project areas and supervised by one Forestry Division Crew Supervisor. The current program
has the ability to field seven crews per workday year-round and is based in Los Lunas at the state’s minimum security
prison facility.
Crews from the Los Lunas
Inmate Work Camp worked on
15 projects for eight different
local, state, federal and private
cooperators, performing 5,170
man-days of work. Crews
were assigned to 10 wildfires,
performing 1,116 man-days
of work. Additionally, their
training in land management and
treatment became vital in the
rehabilitation of land affected
by the wildfires that devastated
thousands of forested acres in the
Manzano Mountains.
FORESTRY CONSERVATION SEEDLING PROGRAM: This is an effective tool
to help preserve and protect New Mexico’s natural landscape. For well over 40 years, Forestry has offered low cost
seedlings to landowners for reforestation, erosion control, windbreak construction and even Christmas tree farms.
Since 1960, over four million trees purchased through the Forestry Seedling Program have been planted throughout
New Mexico. Reforestation projects are important in restoring wildland areas or landscapes affected by fire, disease
or insect attack.
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
Photo Courtesy Forestry IWC
Firefighters from
Forestry’s Inmate
Work Camp battle
the Horseshoe Fire
near Cimarron, New
Mexico.
59