New Mexico State University’s John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center in Mora, New Mexico, will host its annual field day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 10.
This year’s field day will highlight current reforestation efforts and future needs in the southwestern United States. The research center is located at 3021 Highway 518 in Mora. However, Google Maps users are asked to enter GPS coordinates 35.97789, -105.34773 to obtain accurate directions.
A light lunch will be provided, along with a tour of the research center. There will also be a discussion on the New Mexico Reforestation Center.
Presentations and discussions at this year’s field day include historic and current forest management practices, catastrophic forest fires, reforestation after fires and challenges to the reforestation pipeline.
According to a study released this spring that was co-authored by Owen Burney, director of the John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, and 17 other scientists from across the U.S., the nation’s tree nurseries need to increase seedling production by an additional 1.7 billion each year in order to realize the full potential of reforestation in the U.S. This is a 2.4-fold increase over current nursery production.
“We are at a pivotal moment in time where we can make a huge impact on the battle against climate change. Sadly, the greatest tool we have to fight this battle is incomplete. Therefore, it is critical that we invest in the entire reforestation pipeline to address the urgency and scale of the climate problem while simultaneously supporting water resources, forest products, wildlife habitat, recreation, and many other valuable resources forests provide,” said Burney, who is also director of reforestation and associate professor at NMSU.
Field day collaborators include New Mexico Highlands University, the New Mexico Forestry Division and the University of New Mexico.
Masks are required indoors at all times for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. For more information, call 575-387-2319 or visit https://morasc.nmsu.edu/.