Commentary: The New Mexico Reforestation Center is a key part of rebuilding New Mexico’s forests

Have you ever wondered what happens to forests after a wildfire, long after the flames go out? We’ve all driven through old burn scars that remain littered with black, peeling tree trunks. Will those forests ever look like they used to?

New Mexicans know — too well — that burn scars lead to persistent erosion and devastating floods, taking out our roads and homes, damaging our rivers and water quality, and uprooting even more of our trees. New Mexico is no stranger to extreme wildfires, and the scale of tree loss today is outpacing forests’ natural ability to recover. But in the Nov. 3 election, New Mexicans can vote on General Obligation Bond 3, a large package that includes $17.65 million in funding for a new tree nursery — The New Mexico Reforestation Center.

Historically, fire has been a natural and even necessary part of New Mexico’s forests. But catastrophic wildfires, like those that impacted Mora and Ruidoso, are not the same low-intensity fires evolved over millennia. New research conducted in our state shows that wildfires today are burning more severely and at higher temperatures, due to a hotter and drier climate.

Intense burns make it harder for forests to recover because they scorch all the way down to the seed source, destroying forests’ natural reserve that they rely on to regenerate and start anew. Without regrowth after a burn, there are no trees or roots to help filter water or hold soil in place when heavy monsoon rains return, resulting in a chain of natural disasters that pummel our communities. That’s where the New Mexico Reforestation Center comes in.

Under the leadership of State Forester Laura McCarthy, New Mexico is at the forefront of post-fire forest restoration with the proposed expansion of the reforestation center in Mora, set to be the largest science-based tree nursery in the country. Here, local researchers are growing drought-hardened seedlings that are more resilient to our hotter and drier climate. These native trees will be used to replant and restore burned areas across the state to help our forests get started again after catastrophic wildfires.

Right now, the Reforestation Center can grow up to 300,000 seedlings annually. That isn’t enough to reseed our existing burn scars, which on their own require an estimated 385 million new trees, let alone prepare for future disasters New Mexico will face.

If approved by voters this November, General Obligation Bond 3 would fund the addition of a third greenhouse to the tree nursery, ensuring we help our forests when they need us without increasing tax rates. As the Reforestation Center builds capacity, it will help supply the needed seedlings to meet that call, nurturing up to five million trees annually to make our forests healthy once more.