THE nature conservancy, New mexico

climate challenge: Bigger and Hotter Fires

GRANT AWARD: $247,500; Year awarded: 2019

While fire is a frequent disturbance in ponderosa pine and dry mixed conifer forests in the Southwest, the combined impacts of fire suppression and historic overlogging and grazing have created over-dense forests dominated by small trees extremely vulnerable to stand replacement fire. To adapt future forests to a changing climate, this project will implement an assisted range expansion strategy. By planting trees in “nuclei,” or clusters across the landscape, the project team will create a pattern of openings and patches less prone to high severity events when fire does reoccur. The project will reforest 4000 acres (1619 ha), with an estimated 1-2 Mg C/ha sequestered within 50 years.