Consolidated program grants to state forestry agencies are awarded with annually appropriated funds to fund multiple programs authorized in the cooperative forestry assistance act

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 3 (Southwestern Region), awarded $7,020,408 to the New Mexico Energy Minerals & Natural Resources Department under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) on August 27, 2025, with a completion date of December 31, 2029. This consolidated grant funds multiple forest management and fire assistance programs authorized under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act. The funded initiatives include the Forest Stewardship Program, which provides direct technical and financial support to non-industrial private forest landowners to improve forest productivity; the Forest Health Protection Program, designed to enhance productivity and growth across private, community, and state forests; the Urban and Community Forestry Program, which delivers technical and educational assistance for community forest planning, tree planting, maintenance, and utilization; Landscape Scale Restoration, focused on restoring priority forest lands; and State Fire Assistance and Volunteer Fire Assistance programs that increase wildland fire suppression capacity statewide.

The award supports New Mexico's implementation of comprehensive forest resource management and wildfire risk reduction across approximately 500 million acres of non-federal forest lands, with activities coordinated through the state forestry agency to benefit rural communities, private landowners, and municipalities. As the primary steward of New Mexico's natural resources, EMNRD serves as the pass-through entity for distributing federal resources to soil and water conservation districts, local fire departments, community organizations, and municipal governments for targeted forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, and outdoor recreation projects aligned with the state's Forest Action Plan priorities.

Many of these programs provide direct support to non-industrial private forest landowners. Also included are state fire assistance and volunteer fire assistance funds. Programs include forest stewardship program, forest health protection program, urban & community forestry program, landscape scale restoration, state fire assistance and volunteer fire assistance. Forest stewardship works directly with the states non-industrial private landowners to improve forest resource productivity. The forest health program ensures the productivity and growth of the states private, community, and state forests. Urban and community forestry program, provides financial, technical, educational, and related assistance to state foresters to assist communities to plan urban forestry programs and to plant, protect, maintain and utilize wood from community trees and forests to maximize environmental and economic benefits. Landscape scale restoration focuses on restoration of priority forestlands. Fire is a cornerstone of the national cohesive strategy and a key component of shared stewardship partnerships. As an integral component for wildland fire operations, state fire assistance and volunteer fire assistance will be utilized to increase wildland fire suppress capacity across the state.