As printed in the Albuquerque Journal on November 17, 2011. By
Terry Sullivan, State Director, The Nature Conservancy in New
Mexico Congress doesn’t seem to agree on much these days. So
when bipartisan support for a proactive environmental program
comes around, it’s time to take notice. The Collaborative Forest
Landscape Restoration Program is a science-driven, money-saving
job creator. Something we can all agree upon. This summer, fires
raged throughout the Southwest, costing hundreds of millions of
dollars to extinguish. In New Mexico, the Las Conchas Fire – the
largest in the state’s history – charred more than 150,000 acres
and tallied a $48.5 million bill to suppress. Cleanup and
infrastructure damage may double this number. Unfortunately,
catastrophic fires like these are becoming more prevalent. A
combination of drought, fire suppression, invasive species and
climate change has resulted in unhealthy forests across the
state. Unless more aggressive action is taken to treat these
degraded landscapes, mor