New Mexico Forest and Watershed Health Coordinating Group 

Maintaining healthy forests and watersheds is a complex task that requires coordination between diverse agencies, organizations, and stakeholders. The 2020 Forest Action Plan (FAP) calls for a representative advisory group to provide input on implementing the plan and to ensure coordination of and outreach to collaborative groups and stakeholders. The Forestry Division’s Forest and Watershed Health Office hosts meetings of a multi-entity Forest and Watershed Management Coordinating Group formed to fulfill those directives.

The Coordinating Group helps to identify priority landscapes and establish shared goals for restoration across all lands, public and private, in New Mexico. Members also identify issues that affect natural resource management or hamper restoration efforts, then work collectively to find solutions. The group establishes task teams that tackle specific problems or produce desired products. These Task Teams may function as standing committees for ongoing efforts or may be ad-hoc working groups, existing only until a particular job is done.

The NM Forest and Watershed Health Coordinating Group meets quarterly.