Grant funds will be used to implement noxious weed eradication and riparian habitat restoration activities on private lands within the boundaries of the tiffany fire

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, through its Forest Health Protection program (CFDA 10.680), awarded $248,960 to the Department of Agriculture New Mexico on September 9, 2025, to implement noxious weed eradication and riparian habitat restoration activities on private lands affected by the Tiffany Fire. This project, which extends through July 31, 2030, addresses the ecological recovery of approximately 9,200 acres of federal and private lands in the Middle Rio Grande region that were impacted by the largest bosque fire in recent history, which destroyed thousands of acres of mature gallery forests.

The core deliverables include identification of project needs and priority areas on private landowner properties, procurement of mechanical and chemical treatment services, and execution of three primary treatment tasks: extraction of standing saltcedar trees using heavy equipment with full root ball removal, mulching and spreading of slash material using masticators while avoiding native vegetation, and foliar herbicide application to control saltcedar resprouts and other herbaceous noxious weeds. Sierra Soil & Water Conservation District, based in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, was contracted as a sub-grantee to provide expertise and contractual assistance in completing these restoration and weed management activities within the Tiffany Fire burn scar area.

The tiffany fire is the largest bosque fire in recent history, encompassing 9,200 acres of federal and private lands and destroying thousands of acres of mature gallery forests in the middle RIO grande.