The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) Forestry Division was created in 1957 to address the critical needs of our state’s forests and watersheds. In the early years, the Forestry Division focused on regulating timber sales and extinguishing wildfires.

Today, the work has expanded to reducing the overgrown trees and brush that act as fuel for future wildfires, identifying invasive insects and epidemics of native insects that lead to mortality and disease, conserving rare plants, and promoting healthy watersheds to ensure clean and reliable water.