U.S. Forest Service

A new U.S. Forest Service report shows that while national forests and grasslands make up about 19% of the land in the West, they contribute about 46% of its surface water supply.

The U.S. Forest Service is now implementing a new plan that would completely change how the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico is managed by prioritizing sustainability, watershed health, and curbing land usage. But, officials with Rio Arriba County are asking Congress to put a stop to it––claiming the plan violates the rights of their citizens.

Fire crews have now fully contained New Mexico's largest recorded wildfire. In the past few months, the fire left not only the ash of trees and homes in its wake––but also a broken community.

President Joe Biden is due to visit Santa Fe for a briefing on the state's unprecedented fire season. Homes and livelihoods have been destroyed, and there is deep resentment of the U.S. Forest Service's role in starting the fire. Those affected by the fire are also worried the federal response isn't robust or fast enough

Without intervention, in a few weeks rains will likely sweep trees and soil into the Gallinas river, which would contaminate the water and clog a treatment system that diverts the river’s water into reservoirs and a treatment plant.

New Mexico is in the middle of one of its most devastating fire seasons to date –– with the largest wildfire in the state’s history scorching hundreds of thousands of acres of land. This week on Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss year-round forest management practices designed to stop fires like these from happening, a controversial planned burn that became the Hermits Peak Fire, and the evolving role of firefighting in the U.S.

As the efforts of thousands of firefighters battling flames across New Mexico are complicated by fierce winds and drought, officials say drones are another factor slowing their work.

Wilderness boundaries and some protections for at-risk animals and rivers are determined by National Forest management plans. Three forests in New Mexico…

A judge has lifted a ban on permits for gathering firewood on national forests in New Mexico, just a couple of weeks after halting all timber management…

Women don’t become firefighters at nearly the rate that men do in the U.S. Now, forest service officials in New Mexico are working to have crews that…