Wildfire

A new study from Los Alamos National Laboratory shows that New Mexico’s beloved piñon pine trees may be more flexible in how they handle extreme drought than scientists once thought.

The results of a first-of-its-kind aerial survey of beaver dams in New Mexico, released this week, reveal a stark contrast between the northern and southern parts of the state.

As the Southwest heads into peak fire season, the Trump Administration’s cuts to federal agencies are set to hit some local recreational economies hard – especially as conditions ripen for wildfire.

The core of the law aims to put the money into people’s hands to “fire-proof” their homes. But some lawmakers worried it may violate New Mexico’s constitution.

Fire insurance is becoming increasingly expensive and hard to come by in areas ravaged by wildfire in recent years. New Mexico’s lawmakers – and the governor – are hoping to tackle the problem with several proposals this legislative session, one of which is rarely seen in the insurance market.

As several fires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area, New Mexico deployed personnel and equipment to California Thursday.

The New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurances is seeing a substantial increase in insurance providers canceling or not renewing coverage plans for homes in wildfire-prone areas.

State and federal officials held a virtual town hall Tuesday night to update victims of the South Fork and Salt Fires and subsequent flooding on available disaster assistance. Residents were encouraged to apply broadly and persevere through red tape as recovery gets underway.

The Indios Fire, which has been burning in the Santa Fe National Forest since May 19, is not expected to grow any larger, according to fire officials. As the fire dies down along with the complexity of the situation, command of the firefighting effort changed hands Monday from a regional team to a local one.

Kim Wright, a retired nurse, volunteers with the Cimarron Watershed Alliance. A year ago she learned that the federal government was awarding more than $8 million to the alliance to help nine northern New Mexico communities better defend themselves against wildfire. Those communities are still awaiting signs of on-the-ground wildfire preparedness as fire season fast approaches.