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North-Central New Mexico Landscape Assessment Workshop

The Forest Guild, the New Mexico office of the Bureau of Land Management, and the ForestERA Project conducted two October workshops in Taos that brought together a diverse group of people to pursue hands-on, collaborative approaches to forest assessment and management planning. Supported by a grant from the federal Joint Fire Sciences Program, the three groups have prepared for the efforts over the past two years by hosting a series of outreach, planning, and educational meetings with different stakeholders, including agencies, tribes, and citizens' groups throughout north-central New Mexico. Meanwhile, ForestERA has forged ties with scientists throughout the region, working collaboratively to develop ecological, social, and cultural data that supported the participation of citizens from all walks of life in a science-based discussion and prioritization effort. The collaboratively developed assessment and management recommendations will guide a host of upcoming forest planning efforts that otherwise might be tackled in separate and unrelated planning efforts, with less participation from stakeholders. The first workshop brought together about 50 participants, representing several Native American and Land Grant communities, state and federal agencies, conservation groups, and other landowners and involved citizens. These participants have contributed to the planning and information gathering process that has preceded the workshop, and were active participants in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) that allowed them to map values and prioritize forested lands for thinning, prescribed fire, and other forest restoration activities.

They also developed recommended management approaches for areas that emerge as high priorities for management attention. The second workshop reached out to citizens that have less direct involvement with forest management issues. ForestERA provided scientific input that helped inform discussions, but attendees were not as directly involved in analysis and mapping efforts. One additional outcome was a comparison of the results from the two workshops, which assessed the importance of involving diverse stakeholders in the science behind forest planning. While there is reason to believe that greater involvement will lead to better solutions and less conflict over forest management, most planning processes are currently driven by a small number of experts, with public involvement focused on commenting on completed plans. Working with its partners in New Mexico, ForestERA examined this issue in detail, while providing a fresh synthesis of forest condition, social values, and desired future conditions across a large swath of the state. For more information, contact Eytan Krasilovsky at the Forest Guild.

Page last updated November 13, 2006