FOR-NM: Forest Research for New Mexico Water and Carbon Management

Vision Statement

To make NM a leader in dryland forest, watershed, and carbon management with the capacity to build a resilient future.

Mission Statement

FOR-NM improves data-driven management of our forested watersheds through developing and supporting a diverse and vibrant network of researchers, land managers, and local communities across New Mexico to collaboratively build capacity in transdisciplinary research, workforce, and communities.

The overarching goal of our proposed new network, FOR-NM (Forest Research for New Mexico Water and Carbon Management), is to develop a diverse and vibrant network of researchers, land managers, and local communities across New Mexico (NM) who will collaborate to build the transdisciplinary research capacity needed to improve management of our forested watersheds.

Planned research elements address key gaps in understanding of water and carbon dynamics, particularly following major disturbance such as fire, while recognizing that management opportunities must incorporate economic, social, and cultural priorities of local communities. FOR-NM will provide use-inspired tools for decision-making on State priorities for water conservation, including Interstate and Federal water compacts, and carbon neutrality, and quantify how management alters carbon sequestration potential, forest demand for water, and stream water quantity and quality.

New Mexico will serve as a test bed to develop a novel “Guided Transformation” (GT) approach for forest watershed management that integrates research results to address community needs for forest ecosystem services and rural sustainability, while increasing the resilience of watershed carbon and water resources to climate change. FOR-NM will quantify tradeoffs among ecosystem water, carbon, and watershed management, and catalyze new opportunities for management based on the social, cultural, and economic priorities and long-term sustainability of local communities.

The research, education, and workforce development under FOR-NM will serve as a model for water and carbon management in the Southwestern United States and beyond.

FOR-NM Core Descriptions

The Research Core of FOR-NM will build research capacity to improve watershed monitoring and modeling, quantify the impacts of forest management on watershed structure and function, and facilitate community-driven management solutions for New Mexico communities. The Research Core is divided into four specific Research Goals (RGs): RG1: Watershed Scale Ecosystem Structure and Function; RG2: Intensive Watershed Monitoring and Analysis; RG3: Analysis of Forest Treatment Impacts; RG4: Guided Transformation for Communities Facing Continual Change.

The Education K–12 Core will create innovative middle and high school lessons and develop educator workshops using FOR-NM science to increase student knowledge of New Mexico watersheds and career opportunities in watershed research, management, and community engagement.

The Workforce Development Core will work with undergraduates and communities to (1) support conservation and natural resource workforce development pathways and (2) increase awareness of higher education and workforce opportunities at partner institutions and increase student enrollment.

The Administrative Core will administer the FOR-NM project by providing management structure and project leadership, communicating research to relevant stakeholders, and coordinating across all FOR-NM activities.

Leadership Team

Outcomes

FOR-NM is committed to an approach that addresses state, ecological, social, cultural, management, and economic needs in a holistic and deliberate manner with both short and long-term activities, strategic partnerships, and full engagement from a diverse array of community-led groups and organizations.  Research activities inform each other, and through the Guided Transformation (Research Goal 4), will contribute to community-engaged initiatives to increase resilience state-wide.