US Forest Service and New Mexico Sign 20-Year Forest Management Agreement

On July 22, the US Forest Service and New Mexico signed a 20-year agreement expanding opportunities for timber production, new wood uses, landscape restoration, and wildfire-risk reduction across New Mexico.

The agreement strengthens a shared stewardship agreement signed in 2019. The USFS said it also advances President Trump’s Executive Order 14225, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, which allows the USFS to authorize states, counties, and federally recognized tribes to conduct certain projects on federally managed lands.

The USFS said it is working with states, counties, and federally recognized tribes to expand similar efforts supporting healthy landscapes, rural economies, safer communities, and resilient infrastructure.

Commenting on the agreement, USFS Chief Tom Schultz said:

“This 20-year commitment strengthens our partnership with New Mexico to increase fuel treatments and protect the watersheds that serve as the state’s critical water towers. By aligning federal and state resources across priority firesheds, we will accelerate restoration, expand wood utilization, and reduce wildfire risk across millions of acres that communities depend on for water, wood products, recreation, and jobs.”