Researchers at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Forestry Research Center had to make some quick decisions as the largest burning wildfire in the United States approached.
The facility, located in the mountains of Mora County, is one of few nurseries in the country dedicated to building more resilient forests. The area was evacuated due to the approaching Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.
“Tens of thousands of tree sprouts, many of which were sown to make them more drought-tolerant,” were in danger of being destroyed by the approaching fire, according to KOB 4.
Owen Burney, superintendent of the Forestry Research Center, coordinated an effort to save as many sprouts as possible, loading them onto trailers where they were taken to a greenhouse 100 miles away. Also moved were millions of ponderosa pine, spruce, and other conifer seeds created to restore fire-ravaged landscapes in the West, KOB 4 reported.
The tireless work of firefighters, who have battled blazes since April, managed to keep the flames from devastating the Forestry Research Center. But, the fires burning throughout the state indicate the need to explore ways to prevent such blazes.
“The sad truth is we’re not going to be able to do that overnight, so we’re going to see these catastrophic fires for a decade, two decades, three decades — it depends on how quickly we make this turn,” Burney told KOB 4.
More than 3,700 square miles have burned in the U.S. this year, almost triple the 10-year average, according to KOB 4. Researchers and private organizations contacted NMSU’s Forestry Research Center to ask for seedlings and to learn how to restore forests scorched by fires. The center provided sprouts for restoration projects throughout the western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.
Researchers indicated the center’s ability to produce as many as 300,000 seedlings annually will not be enough to keep up with the demand of areas that need saplings to plant. Many areas have been affected by extreme droughts, climate change, and forest fires, which have reduced tree populations.
Approximately 10,000 seedlings from the Forestry Research Center will be utilized for a project intended to grow ponderosa pine at higher elevations, KOB 4 reported. Matt Hurteau, a biology professor at the University of New Mexico, is trying to predict where the seedlings will have the best chance of survival. He said that areas chosen for research in the past are now being threatened by fires.
Researchers are exploring various ways that the forest naturally regenerates after a fire. Activities such as producing tree islands instead of dense acres of timber could protect against the next wave of wildfires. Officials also are looking into creating more nurseries and planting saplings throughout New Mexico.
“The genetics really matter. It matters how you raise them in the nursery; it matters where you put that hole in the ground, how you harden those trees as seedlings,” Ann Bradley, forest program director for the Nature Conservancy in New Mexico, told KOB 4. “Everything we do is an attempt to learn more and to see what our options might be.”
