New Mexico Forest Action Plan 2020 Draft Document 4.22.2020 1 Contents I. Introduction............................................................................................................................................................... 3 III. Natural Resources Assessment ................................................................................................................................. 7 Resource Assessment Framework ............................................................................................................................. 7 Collaborative Approach and Stakeholder Engagement ............................................................................................ 9 Threats to Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Wildfire ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Post-wildfire Flooding, Erosion, and Debris Flow ............................................................................................... 13 Disease and Insects ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Climate Change ................................................................................................................................................... 17 Development and Fragmentation....................................................................................................................... 19 Use and Forest Management Activities .............................................................................................................. 19 Resources and Assets .............................................................................................................................................. 19 Theme: Water Quality and Supply ...................................................................................................................... 20 Theme: Wildland Communities .......................................................................................................................... 27 Theme: Recreation and Cultural Use .................................................................................................................. 29 Theme: Timber and Grazing ............................................................................................................................... 30 Theme: Carbon Sequestration and Storage ........................................................................................................ 33 Theme: Biodiversity ............................................................................................................................................ 35 Theme: Indigenous and Traditional Use ............................................................................................................. 38 Theme: Urban Forests and Communities ........................................................................................................... 40 Relative Importance ................................................................................................................................................ 42 Risk Assessment ...................................................................................................................................................... 44 Data Gaps ................................................................................................................................................................ 46 References ............................................................................................................................................................... 48 IV. Strategies ................................................................................................................................................................. 52 Strategy 1: Restore Forests and Watersheds………………………………………………………………………………………………………55 Strategy 2: Fire Management……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..63 Strategy 3: Private Lands Stewardship………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..70 Strategy 4: Utility Right of Ways…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………73 Strategy 5: Rare Plants……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….77 Strategy 6: Reforestation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………,..78 Strategy 7: Urban & Community Forestry……………………………………………………………………………………………………….….85 Strategy 8: Restoration Economy……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….94 Strategy 9: Land Conservation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………98 Strategy 10: Outdoor Recreation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………102 V. Priority Setting Concepts & Maps ......................................................................................................................... 107 VI. Forest Legacy ........................................................................................................................................................ 115 VII.Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 119 XII. Appendices .......................................................................................................................................................... 120 Appendix 1. Acronym List ..................................................................................................................................... 120 Appendix 2. Guidance for State Forest Action Plans ............................................................................................ 122 Appendix 3. Shared Stewardship Agreement ...................................................................................................... 123 Appendix 4. Scenario Investment Planning Project Report for New Mexico, Link and Introduction .................. 128 2 I. Introduction New Mexico, like other western states, faces urgent issues concerning forests and watersheds, including catastrophic wildfires, invasive species, epidemic insect outbreaks, and changing climate conditions. Increasing severity of wildfires are expanding risk to communities, firefighters, and natural resources – especially water supply. Scarce, but precious, surface and ground water are of utmost importance in the Southwest. The State Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) Forestry Division has collaborated with many partners to develop this 2020 New Mexico Forest Action Plan to provide the most current analysis of the condition of our natural resources, and develop strategies for the next decade on how best to address identified issues in forest and watershed management, including our urban and community forests. The 2020 New Mexico Forest Action Plan is built on previous plans and lays the foundation for future plans. Most importantly, this plan provides today’s best assessment of resources, identifies current issues, and outlines collaborative and calculated strategies and actions to achieve a shared vision of forest resilience. Although, this Plan represents a continuance of values and actions that place healthy resilient forests in New Mexico as a guiding beacon, in many ways, this Plan represents a departure from the 2010 plan. The key difference, besides access to better data and analysis tools, is that this is a plan for a collaboration of agencies and organizations, and not just intended to guide the actions of the Forestry Division. The audience for this Forest Action Plan is presumed to be primarily resource managers and partners engaged in the day to day work of stewarding forests and watersheds. However, the Background Chapter contains a more thorough description of the state’s resources and some of the underlying processes that that define our forest ecosystems and various challenges to resiliency and may be the starting point for individuals new to the state or forest management. In addition to the simple wisdom of utilizing planning to guide implementation, there are a few expectations that guide this planning process. The 2008 Farm Bill requires State Forestry agencies to develop Forest Action Plans on a recurring 10-year plan cycle, with the first plans developed in 2010. The 2005 New Mexico Forest and Watershed Plan identified the need for an in-depth assessment and plan for watershed management in the state. In combining these planning needs, New Mexico has taken a broad landscape/watershed approach to natural resource planning within the Forest Action Plan. In 2010, the process was divided in three parts: Assessment, Strategy, and Action Plan. The Assessment was a wall to wall all jurisdictions approach while the Strategy and Action Plans were targeted specifically on the actions of the Forestry Division. With a decade of increased collaboration and partnerships, the 2020 plan, takes the same wall to wall approach, but extends the combined Strategy/Action plan to include the Division as well as the Division’s partners. In both 2010 and 2020, the Forestry Division has contracted The Nature Conservancy as a partner in assessment and plan development. Similarly, both plans have been developed with stakeholder/partner participation. A core Forest Action Plan team (the team) consisted of staff of the Energy, Minerals,