MATTHEW HURTEAU SPENDS A LOT OF TIME HERE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS.

UNTIL RECENTLY, IT WAS A DENSE PINE FOREST.

THAT HAS ALL CHANGED.

IN SOME PLACES ASPENS AND LOCUST TREES HAVE REPLACED THE PINES.

IN OTHER PLACES, THERE AREN'T ANY TREES AT ALL.

JUST OPEN EXPANSE.

THE LOS CANCHAS FIRE BURNED OVER THE DOME FIRE AND AS A RESULT WE HAVE NEARLY 100% PINE MORTALITY.

THERE IS A FEW LIVE ONES ON THE HILL SLOPE THAT DIDN'T GET BURNED UP BUT THIS IS WHY WE DO THE PROJECT, TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND IF SOCIETY DECIDES WE WANT TO INVEST THE RESOURCES TO REFOREST THIS SYSTEM, HOW CAN WE USE THOSE RESOURCES EFFICIENTLY.

THIS USED TO BE NEARLY CONTINUOUS PONDEROSA PINE FOREST AND WHAT HAS COME BACK IS SHRUBS AND SO A LOT OF THE SHRUBS WE SEE ARE OAKS THAT RESPROUTED.

THEY WERE ALSO TOP KILLED BY FIRE AND THEN WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW MEXICO LOCUST IN THE SHRUBBY FORM.

AND THERE IS VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF REGENERATION OF PINE TREES HERE BECAUSE THERE IS VERY LITTLE LIVE MATURE PINE TREES TO PROVIDE THE SEED.

ADDITIONALLY, ONCE YOU KILL OFF THE OVER STORY OF THE FOREST, THE ENVIRONMENT IS A LOT HOTTER AND A LOT DRIER BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE SUNLIGHT HITTING THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, AND AS A RESULT IT CREATES A FAIRLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT FOR A PINE SEEDLING TO TRY AND ESTABLISH.

HURTEAU IS A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT.

AND HE IS TRYING TO LEARN WHICH TREE SPECIES CAN SURVIVE AND WHERE, TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF HOW WE SHOULD SPEND MONEY ON POST FIRE PLANTING PROJECTS.

THEY GROW SOME SEEDLINGS ON THE ROOF OF THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT UNM AND GET OTHERS FROM STATE FORESTRY.

THEY GROW THEM TO THE POINT THAT THEY ARE CALLED 1.0 OR ONE GROWING SEASON SEEDLING OR FIVE OR SIX-INCHES TALL.

AND HE AND OTHERS IN THE LAB PLANT THE SEEDLINGS.

DOUGLAS FIR AND THREE PINE SPECIES IN DIFFERENT PLACES ON NORTH OR SOUTH FACING SLOPES, IN OPEN AREAS AND SHELTERED BENEATH BRUSH TO SEE WHICH ONES MAKE IT.

WE ARE HOPING TO UTILIZE THAT SHRUB COVER TO PROTECT OUR SEEDLINGS FROM THE ADDITIONAL SUNLIGHT THAT COMES WITHOUT HAVING ANY TREE COVER AND SO, EVENTUALLY, IF WE DO GET TREES TO ESTABLISH HERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE THE AREA OCCUPIED BY THOSE SHRUBS CONTRACT AS THEY COMPETE WITH THE MATURE TREES FOR LIGHT.

HURTEAU SAYS WE NEED TO IDENTIFY WHAT WORKS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

WARMING WILL CONTINUE AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO PROTECT FORESTS, WATERSHEDS AND DOWNSTREAM COMMUNITIES.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, EVERY OUNCE OF WATER YOU'RE GETTING FROM THE RIO GRANDE COMES FROM THESE LANDSCAPES.

SO THESE FORESTED WATERSHEDS ARE WHAT PROVIDE A GOOD CHUNK OF THE WATER THAT FLOWS IN THE RIO GRANDE CHANNEL.

THERE ARE THINGS THAT TREES DO BY PROVIDING SHADE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT HELP RETAIN SNOW PACK, WHEN IT DOES FALL, AND HAVING SOME CANOPY COVER IS USEFUL FOR SLOWING DOWN THE RATE OF MELTING OF SNOW AND SLOWING DOWN THE RATE AT WHICH THAT WATER ENTERS THE RIO GRANDE IN THE SPRING.

HE SAYS HE DOESN'T HAVE AN AGENDA.

HE JUST WANTS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO LAND MANAGERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

SCIENTISTS CAN HELP POLICY MAKERS.

BUT THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.

WE HAVE GOT A RELATIVELY SMALL WINDOW GIVEN THE RATE AT WHICH THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING.

IF WE WANT TO ESTABLISH TREES ON THESE LANDSCAPES WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS RELATIVELY SMALL WINDOW AND THAT IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION YEARS, SO WHEN WE HAVE A GOOD SNOW PACK, GETTING SEEDLINGS IN THE GROUND.

GIVEN THE PROJECTIONS, CLIMATE PROJECTIONS FOR THE SOUTHWEST, IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET WARMER AND DRYER AND THE WARMER AND DRYER IT GETS, THE LESS LIKELY WE ARE ABLE TO ESTABLISH SEEDLINGS IN THESE LOWER ELEVATION AREAS AND LOWER ELEVATION HERE BEING 7,000 FEET BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO GET TOO HOT AND DRY.

BUT IF WE ARE ABLE TO GET THEM IN THE GROUND NOW AND GROWING, THEY HELP MODIFY THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM SUCH THAT TREES CAN PERSIST IN AN AREA FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.

FOR NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, AND OUR LAND, I AM LAURA PASKUS.