Insects and warm conditions driving forest damage statewide

SANTA FE – Tree deaths in New Mexico’s forests more than doubled from 2023, according to
the new Forest Health Conditions Report released by the Energy Minerals and Natural
Resources Forestry Division.
Key findings from the report show:
• 70,000 acres of dead conifer trees – up from the 33,000 acres in 2023.
• 406,000 acres damaged by insects, disease and harsh conditions — an increase of
42,000 acres or 12% since 2023.
• 39% rise in trees losing needles, leaves and turning brown or red statewide.
“The uptick in these numbers is surprising, compared with the previous year,” said Victor
Lucero, Forest Health Program Coordinator with New Mexico Forestry Division. “But it’s less
surprising when you factor in the warmer conditions this state saw and continues to see.
Additionally, burn scar areas from previous wildfires proved to be significant crucibles for
insect activity and tree mortality.”
The report, created in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, is based on aerial surveys to
map insect and disease activity across 14 million acres of state, private, Tribal, and federal
forests and woodlands.
“You can think of our survey as measuring three different types of bad outcomes for trees,”
Lucero said. “Damage really means any damage to the tree caused by insects – insects who
thrive in dry, warm conditions, because the trees are weakened and less able to defend
themselves. Defoliation is a sign that trees have been invaded but haven’t died off yet. While
mortality means the tree is left standing dead after prolonged insect attack.”
Native insects proved to be the primary cause of tree damage. These include the caterpillars of
the Douglas-fir tussock moth, which defoliated 18,000 acres within mixed conifer forests, a
significant increase from 2023. Piñon needle scale, a tiny sap-sucking insect, defoliated 16,000
acres. Other culprits include bark beetles, Piñon ips, Western Spruce budworm, and Ponderosa
needleminer.
Aerial view of bark beetle-killed ponderosa pine on a portion of the Hermit’s Peak Calf
Canyon fire burn scar. Photo by Crystal Tischler, USFS
Drought, which remains persistent in New Mexico, decreased slightly last year. Forest and
woodland acres impacted by drought and heat decreased by 65% statewide. However, the
state’s mean temperature rose to 56.3 degrees, making 2024 the second warmest year on
record.

Landowners are encouraged to contact their local Forestry Division District office to develop
management plans that can lessen or prevent serious impacts from drought stress, insects and
disease, while also curbing the potential for catastrophic wildfire.
1220 South St. Francis Drive ▪ Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
▪ Fax (505) 476-3220 ▪ emnrd.nm.gov/sfd