The southwest forest health and wildfire prevention act (public law 108-317) established three university-based southwest ecological restoration institutes in arizona, new mexico, and colorado

New Mexico Highlands University received a $1.0 million Project Grant awarded on August 4, 2025, under the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention program (CFDA 10.694) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 3 – Southwestern Region. The award funds NMHU's operations as one of three congressionally designated Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes established by the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act (Public Law 108-317). The grant performance period extends through June 30, 2027.

Under this award, NMHU will develop, conduct research on, and transfer science-based restoration treatments designed to reduce severe wildfire risk to vulnerable communities and improve the health of dry forest and woodland ecosystems in the Interior West. Key deliverables include synthesizing and adapting scientific findings for landscape-scale implementation of hazardous fuel reduction treatments; translating and transferring scientific and interdisciplinary knowledge to forest land managers and affected entities; assisting partners with the design of adaptive management approaches and monitoring protocols; and providing peer-reviewed annual reports documenting restoration activities and outcomes. The institute will serve as a knowledge broker between research and on-the-ground forest management practice across the southwestern region.

This mission essential agreement is required for the cooperator to CO-develop, translate, and apply actionable knowledge in collaboration with forest land managers and partners to foster sustainable fire-resilient forests for timber and other benefits for communities and nature, now and into the future. As specified by the act, the duties of the southwest ecological restoration institutes are to: 1) develop, conduct research on, transfer, promote, and monitor restoration-based hazardous fuel reduction treatments to reduce the risk of severe wildfires to vulnerable communities and improve the health of dry forest and woodland ecosystems in the interior west; 2) synthesize and adapt scientific findings from conventional research to implement restoration-based hazardous fuel reduction treatments on a landscape scale using a more modern and efficient adaptive management framework; 3) translate for and transfer to affected entities any scientific and interdisciplinary knowledge about hazardous fuel reduction treatments; 4) assist affected entities with the design of adaptive management approaches (including monitoring) for the implementation of reducing wildfire risk; and 5) provide peer-reviewed annual reports.