Preserving Native Southwestern Forests

From the last remnant stands of ancient Ponderosa Pine forests of the Mogollon Rim to the lush spruce and fir forests framed by the jagged peaks of the Southern Rockies, the forests of the greater Southwest are widely diverse in their defining character and in the threats to their survival. Our planet's largest ponderosa pine forest runs an arc over southwestern New Mexico north through central Arizona. It is at the point of ecological collapse.

After 50 years of rapacious old growth logging, centuries of livestock grazing, fire suppression, elimination of predators and soil erosion, we are still without permanent protection for the remaining 4 percent of our ancient pine trees. These regal old growth stands are the last fire resistant protectors of our forests. The Bush administration has launched a new wave of pillage and plunder by rolling back environmental regulations in the name of fire prevention. Read more..

On-The-Ground Restoration of Native Southwestern Forests

Forest Guardians balances our efforts to reform policy and use the courtroom to halt destructive logging projects by promoting on-the-ground forest and watershed restoration projects that also provide economic opportunities to forest-based communities. This spring we submitted a proposal under The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program to work with the U.S. Forest Service to restore forests fragmented and waterways polluted by a needless network of roads. Our proposal would remove many roads and create strategic fuel breaks around the communities of Coyote and Mesa Poleo in northern New Mexico. We are also working collaboratively with a small, restoration based business in the Carson National Forest to experiment with small tree thinning while safeguarding vital water sources and wildlife populations. Read more..

Wild Roadless Forests at Risk

On May 5, 2005 the Bush administration announced the final repeal of the Clinton Roadless Area Conservation Rule and the replacement policy which provides zero special protections for America’s great roadless forests and their rich diversity of life. The administration replaced the roadless rule with a virtually meaningless red-tape process that allows governors to petition for protection of roadless areas in their states - or for more logging, mining and drilling. Nearly 60 million acres of our last wild forests are immediately at risk. Forest Guardians has a creative and permanent solution for defending these last wild places. Read more..

Protection and Restoration: the Legislative Fix

Representatives Jim Leach (R-IA) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) introduced the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act on July 26th, 2005 to ban commercial logging in National Forests and fund critical forest restoration work and community protection from fire. This comprehensive legislative solution has received the support of over 200 scientists, over 300 grassroots forest protection groups, and scores of U.S. Congresspeople from across the country. Read more..

Born of Fire

The very uniqueness of our Southwestern forest ecosystems, the wildlife they sustain and the abundant clean water they provide are seriously threatened by government fire policy and continued abuse by livestock. Forest Guardians is working to transcend this paradigm of fear-driven fire policy by promoting positive economic and biological values of forest ecosystems, namely watershed and wild habitat values and the delicate ecological dynamism sustained by fire. Every southwestern forest ecosystem, from aspen at 11,000’ to ponderosa pine at 7,000’, are born of fire and, just as rainforests need rain, need fire’s rejuvenating properties to perpetuate and thrive. Forest Guardians will work proactively to engage fellow environmental advocates, the Forest Service and communities to ensure that progressive fire related policies are implemented at the regional and local level. Read more..  Read the report..

Diversity of Forest Life

The Abert’s squirrel is just one of hundreds of animals in the great diversity of life that inhabit the unique ecosystems that exist on the national forests of the Southwest. Under the Bush Administration, this unparalleled diversity of life is being brushed aside to accommodate industry. Forest Guardians is working to ensure that all sensitive species on our national forests—be they management indicator species or threatened or endangered—are protected for future generations. Read more..

Monitoring the population status of indicator species can help evaluate ecosystem health and habitat integrity. Read more about indicator species..

For specific questions about our efforts to protect our forests, contact Bryan Bird, Southwest Forests program director.