Happy Arbor Month! Celebrating the vital role trees play. Our partner Tree New Mexico has planted 10,000+ trees in ABQ and recently branched southward to Silver City and T or C, planting 1,000 trees in 2 years where tree canopy is as low as 3%. Learn more and join planting days! Visit treenm.org

Why mess with perfection? It’s easy to mistake a dense forest for a healthy forest — but that’s not always the case. In this month’s From the Field, we dive into forest treatments: turning this 🌲🌲🌲🌲 to this 🌲 🌱 🦌 🌲 📰: www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/wp-conte...

Save the date! Hear updates on issues impacting communities following the HPCC. Topics include: home hardening and insurance, regrowth in our forests, updates on groundwater contaminants, power line safety and more. Join for this community day of rebuilding and connection.

Moths, mistletoe, fire mitigation and more: Crews are working overtime on the Carson National Forest to restore overgrown, pest-impacted forest. KRQE checked in on progress on the ground - check it out!

Moths, mistletoe, fire mitigation and more: Crews are working overtime on the Carson National Forest to restore overgrown, pest-impacted forest. KRQE checked in on progress - check it out! 📹: krqe.com/news/new-mexico/carson-national-forest-restoration-efforts-continue-following-moth-infections

#FireFriday: Are burn scars melting snowpack faster? Snow may finally fall across our mountains this weekend. Where it meets burn scars, it may melt off faster. Read the research: wildfiretoday.com/burn-scars-in-western-us-snow-regions-to-further-strain-water-supplies-research-shows.

Work smarter, not hotter? As windy weather sticks around, it’s a reminder to stay safe when working outdoors. Get a fire prevention tip each month — subscribe to our newsletter! Link in bio. #hottip

Ahead of a windy week, take extra precautions — especially in grassy areas, where already seeing increased fire behavior. Most fires are human caused, meaning they’re preventable: Check weather, work smart, keep your vehicle in good shape.

Happy #FireFriday! Top priorities in a wildfire: keep people safe. This Incident Within an Incident course prepped trainees for a medical emergency or injury during a wildfire. Get ready for the 2026 fire season: full training schedule at emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/training. Well done, firefighters!

Got a post-fire project? Consider our new Carbon Stewardship Program! This is the first cost-share program in the state to offer direct payments for post-fire recovery, from contour felling to seeding and restoration. Apply now! Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/forest-and-watershed-health-office

Preparing for wildfire takes a village. In this month’s The Spark, dive into Community Wildfire Protection Plans, your area's resource to identify risks and plan action steps. 🔥 Get the Spark: facnm.org Thanks to partners Forest Stewards Guild, @nmfwri.bsky.social and BLM New Mexico!

352 Fire - Final Update: 70% contained, 2,674 acres. State Road 469 re-opened, evacuations lifted. This will be the final notification unless there are significant changes. nmfireinfo.com/2026/02/10/3...

Wildfire Notification: 352 Fire (Quay County) Estimated 1,000 acres, zero percent contained, north of San Jon. Cause is under investigation. For complete info: nmfireinfo.com/2026/02/09/wildfire-notification-352-fire-quay-county/

Is there such a thing as too many trees? Read about it in our Feb. newsletter! Plus: • Our first-ever direct payment program for post-fire projects • The launch of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service • Job opportunities, hot work tips and events All this and more: mailchi.mp/state/what-w...

Division responded to the 25-acre Wet Weather Fire near Magdalena — one of many in a pretty big uptick in fire starts statewide, including a 500-acre grass fire west of Santa Rosa. Eastern NM is at the highest risk: tie up chains, hold off burning, keep grasses mowed! Visit nmfireino.com for updates

From AI-powered cameras to satellites, drones and BurnBots, technology is reshaping the world of wildfire We recently partnered with Pano AI and PNM on 11 wildfire detection cameras in high-risk areas. Read the latest #WildfireWednesday from Fire Adapted NM on wildfire tech: facnm.org/news

The Fix Our Forests Act: What does it all mean? Hop onto this webinar to learn more about the biggest piece of wildfire legislation in recent history: its line items, experts’ recommendations, and what’s changed since its inception. Thanks to Forest Stewards Guild and SW Fire Science Consortium!

Happy #FireFriday! Our Mimbres Fire Crew returned from successfully burning 50 acres of piles with the @forestservice.bsky.social Cibola National Forest. In total, the Hop Patterson Prescribed Fire will treat over 700 acres of broadcast and pile burns. Well done, Mimbres crew! 🤝

Got that wood stove roaring finally? ❄️ Fire doesn't end when flames die down: You have to dispose of wood ash safely, too. In December, the Hough Fire outside Portales burned 40 acres of grassland. Its origins? Improperly disposed hot ash. Keep the fire in the stove — use these steps to stay safe:

Got that wood stove roaring finally? ❄️ Fire doesn't end when flames die down: You have to dispose of ash safely, too. In December, the Hough Fire outside Portales burned 40 acres. Its origins? Improperly disposed hot ash. Keep the fire in the wood stove — follow these steps to stay safe 🔥

It's never too late for a visit to Smokey Bear Historical Park! This little fox's late-night, self-guided tour was captured on the wildlife cam 🦊

Tiny beetle, big impact. Bark beetles are a native, natural check on forest density. But in warm winters and drought, trees are weakening and beetles are proliferating. In our overstocked forests, their impacts are dramatic. Watch the @koat7.bsky.social story: youtube.com/watch?v=9QTx7cnLXCo

In southern Taos County, the collaborative McGaffey Forest and Watershed Restoration Project will join Carson National Forest to: • Restore watersheds • Provide wood and jobs • Remove invasives and reduce pest stress • Reduce wildfire threat 📰: fs.usda.gov/r03/carson

Warm winter, low snowpack and drought raise wildfire risk in eastern NM this spring. You can reduce that risk: • Mow grasses • Make a fuel break b/w vegetation and your home • Park cars over pavement/dirt, not grass • Tie up vehicle chains • Use spark arrestors Story at @abqjournal.bsky.social

What does life look like after high school? How 'bout working: • Outdoors • On a crew • To protect your forests and community @GEARUPNewMexico showed high schoolers about a career in wildland firefighting -- check out their video! 📽: youtube.com/watch?v=vTgph-XZPxo

Bark beetle tree mortality more than doubled for the second year as winters warm. The good news: Thinning forests helps trees better access soil moisture and repel pests. It's also a priority mitigation strategy for another rising danger: wildfire. Read the full story at @abqjournal.bsky.social

Sometimes, big things come in small packages: Embers are responsible for 80% of homes burning in a wildfire. Good news: Protecting your homes is largely in your control. Check out this month's The Spark for small steps with a huge impact. Thx Forest Stewards Guild, @nmfwri.bsky.social and BLM NM!

Want some cozy reading this snowy Friday? Our first monthly newsletter just dropped! It's packed with stories, tips and photos from the field. Visit tinyurl.com/ytpw6aus to check it out. Want 'em delivered to your inbox? Sign up at tinyurl.com/24nbcy59.

From Sept. to Dec., this project just north of Silver City has: • Thinned 947 of 1,222 acres • Returned densely overgrown pinon-juniper to savannah woodlands • Reduced both competition stress and wildfire risk to the surrounding communities. And how 'bout that view?

Wildland firefighters can get $450K from the federal government for smoke-related cancers under the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act passed in December. The bill is hailed as a "critical victory" for firefighters. Read more at wildfiretoday.com.

This #FireFriday, we revisit the Palisades and Eaton Fires that burned one year ago – and lessons learned. An IBHS report found: The most effective action you can take is hardening your home. Every small action builds our collective resilience. Read more about the findings at facnm.org/news

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – the old adage applies to wildfires, too. State Forester Laura McCarthy shares why every dollar spent on prevention saves suppression costs, properties, watersheds and lives several times over. Read her op-ed: tinyurl.com/mtuwpccw

Our Forest Health Coordinator took some time to visit with KOB4 last week and help explain what's been happening to pinon trees in New Mexico lately -- and about the beetle that's responsible. www.kob.com/new-mexico/p...

Wildfire preparedness is year round. Use your winter down time to: • Create an action plan • Build your go bag • Map your evacuation routes • Coordinate family communication plans Read The Spark at facnm.org/news Thanks to partners @nmfwri.bsky.social, BLM New Mexico and Forest Stewards Guild!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Not in this weather. With record high temps and "snow drought," take extra precautions: Check the weather and always plan ahead to contain and put out your fire— or hold off until conditions are better. For more on conditions, visit tinyurl.com/4f88xhen.

Want to work in #wildfire and train for #hotshot status? Our Pecos River crew based out of Las Vegas, N.M., is hiring for a superintendent. Manage high complexity incidents and lead a crew to hotshot status. Position closes Dec. 29. Apply at emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/join.

This holiday season cruise by Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, NM. Visit the only museum and park of its kind in the U.S. -- dedicated to Smokey, fire prevention, firefighters and forest management. Take a peek inside with this short virtual tour: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jelr...

Managing wildfire: resourceful or risky? Read how the Dragon Bravo Fire, the largest wildfire of 2025, “ ... did not lead to a crisis of faith in managed wildfires. If anything, it seemed to have strengthened firefighters’ convictions.” #WildfireWednesday

New Mexicans are hard at work restoring burn scars and forests. Check out Hermit's Peak Watershed Alliance's latest video for an in-depth look at reforestation work, from nurseries to burn scars. Hear from researchers and foresters — and learn the best way to plant a tree!

Spring seedling orders are open! We offer low-cost seedlings in 60+ varieties for landowners to use in conservation projects, from reforestation to windbreaks to wildlife habitat. (You can even get a start on next year’s Christmas tree farm🎄) Learn more and order at emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/seedlings.

Calling prescribed fire practitioners: The Certified Burn Manager Certification Committee seeks 2 new members to guide private landowners to safely use prescribed fire on their property. Applications and nominations welcome on a rolling basis! Learn more and apply at tinyurl.com/mrxnwfsn.

What’s the cost of a wildfire? In personal and monetary terms, it's difficult to quantify. This week’s #WildfireWednesday dives into full cost accounting, which amasses all impacts from initial suppression to long-term health and ecological impacts. Read the whole piece at facnm.org/news.

Pinyon ips have made some pretty severe inroads into forested areas across New Mexico this year. If you're curious about management strategies for beetle infestations, check out our Forest Health page as well as this flyer -- tinyurl.com/yc4r3yz3 #foresthealth

Calling all working in forest restoration! Come out to a forest contractor workshop and fair Dec. 2 — expand your business and build skills through agency connections, timber market insights and practical business guidance for the next steps in your professional forestry journey.

NM Forestry Division is hiring for a Community Wildfire Defense Program Manager. This position directs forest and watershed health and community wildfire risk reduction programs with local governments, tribes and NGOs statewide. Apply by Friday, Dec. 5: tinyurl.com/y7ud4dut

It’s a wrap on the Espinosa Prescribed Fire! Forestry Division returned from supporting the @forestservice.bsky.social on a successful 1,343-acre broadcast burn: the largest broadcast burn to take place on Mountainair Ranger District, and one of the largest in Cibola National Forest history.

This week, EMNRD released a Wildfire Study Group Report with recommendations for methods to address, avoid and mitigate the impacts of wildfires in the state. Read this story from The Santa Fe New Mexican below and click through to read the report itself! tinyurl.com/mvmy42dy

Firewise and Fire Adapted Communities: How do they overlap, and which is right for your community? Check out this month’s The Spark newsletter to read up – just in time for the Firewise renewal deadline Friday (Nov. 21)! Read up at tinyurl.com/hxhhdatf.

It's been another successful year for our state-led Mimbres #handcrew -- take a look at some of the places they've been and the #wildfires they've fought with this Year-In-Review video compiled by the crew. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwe... Congratulations!

We were pleased to join our partners at Office of the Superintendent of Insurance and Grant County officials for a Preparedness and Insurance Town Hall in Silver City last week -- Read more below from Silver City Daily Press! tinyurl.com/dt963p3y