Study: Tree deaths outpace new growth across New Mexico

 

 

(Santa Fe New Mexican) New Mexico trees are dying faster than they are being replaced with new growth across much of the state, according to a study on forest health released Tuesday. Brown trees dotting landscapes around the state are a highly visible sign of what’s happening.
The study by the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station is a kind of encyclopedia of New Mexico forests, one that researchers hope can be consistently updated every few years. It uses data gathered at 3,000 forested sites on private and federal lands between 2008 and 2012. Continued