New Mexico Reforestation Center
Project Description
This project will support development of the New Mexico Reforestation Center (NMRC), a multi-site initiative designed to dramatically expand New Mexico's capacity to restore forests damaged by wildfire, drought, climate impacts, and other disturbances.
The Reforestation Center will bring together the facilities, research, seed resources, and seedling-production capacity needed to support large-scale forest restoration across New Mexico and the Southwest. Planned facilities include up to 160,000 square feet of greenhouse space at the center's Mora campus, along with headhouse and support facilities and an administration and laboratory building supporting research, education, outreach, and operations. The project also includes a comprehensive Seed Extraction Facility and Seed Bank in Las Vegas.
The need is significant. New Mexico currently produces a maximum of approximately 300,000 tree seedlings annually, while an estimated 150 million to 390 million seedlings are needed to replant approximately 1 million to 2.6 million acres across the state. Once fully developed, the New Mexico Reforestation Center will have the capacity to produce up to 5 million seedlings each year while maintaining a comprehensive seed bank to support long-term restoration efforts.
The center will also serve as a hub for research, education, workforce development, and collaboration, bringing together expertise and resources to strengthen New Mexico's ability to respond to increasingly complex forest restoration needs.
UNM's participation in this statewide effort will contribute to a coordinated approach to forest recovery that combines research and education with the infrastructure needed to move from seed collection and storage to seedling production and ultimately reforestation.
By investing in the New Mexico Reforestation Center, GO Bond 3 will help build the long-term capacity New Mexico needs to restore forests, protect watersheds and communities, and strengthen the resilience of the state's natural resources for future generations.
Additional Background
The New Mexico Reforestation Center is planned as a multi-phase, multi-site initiative involving New Mexico's research universities and other partners. The primary production campus is being developed at New Mexico State University's John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center in Mora, with additional seed-programming facilities planned at New Mexico Highlands University in San Miguel County.
The center is designed to be constructed in four phases. The first phase, supported by $38.5 million in state appropriations and federal funding, includes greenhouse and production facilities as well as the center's operational core, which will provide equipment and systems necessary to support future expansion.
Approximately $88 million in additional investment is anticipated for the remaining phases, including additional greenhouses, administrative and research space, and seed-program facilities. The goal is to complete the center by 2030, creating the infrastructure needed to produce up to 5 million seedlings annually and support forest restoration efforts throughout New Mexico and the Southwest.
GO Bond 3 would provide $600,000 to The University of New Mexico in support of this collaborative statewide initiative.
