Threats – 2020 Forest Action Plan

Wildfire, post-wildfire flooding and debris flow, disease and insects, development, erosion, and climate change threaten New Mexico’s natural resources. Planning for and mitigating these hazards is one component of the Forest Action Pan. Susceptibility of each resource will be characterized for each hazard using an approach already regularly used for wildfire risk assessment (Scott, Thompson, & Calkin 2013).

Wildfire

A statewide wildfire hazard has been completed for New Mexico by fire ecologists with the United States Forest Service (USFS). This assessment generated burn probability and wildfire intensity maps for all lands at 180 meter resolution.

Post-wildfire Hazards

Flooding and debris flow are hazards that commonly occur following wildfire. Flooding models from the National Weather Service and debris flow models from the United State Geological Survey will be used to map the distribution of expected post-wildfire hazards.

Because these hazards travel downstream, floodplain and runout models will be used to identify values threatened by post-fire flooding and debris flow.

Disease, Insects, and Invasive Species

NIDRM (https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/applied-sciences/mapping-reporting/gis-spatial-analysis/national-risk-maps.shtml)

NMDA

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SFD/documents/NMFHConditionsReport2018_Final.pdf

USFS

Development and Fragmentation

Development potential can be evaluated for residential development, oil and gas development, and wind energy development. Mining, solar energy development, geothermal energy development, and are also development threats, but the combined extent and magnitude of expected development is low enough they are not included.