Seed Tree Re-inventory

Project in partnership between the Santa Fe NF and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps-New Mexico (RMYC-NM), to help meet the increasing demand for trees for reforestation efforts and to make use of the expanded tree nursery capacity in the southwest while also providing for workforce development.
The project re-inventoried superior seed trees and stands that were originally documented by map and compass and tagged in the 1970s and 1980s as part of a statewide tree improvement program.
The project uses information from the paper records to re-inventory previously mapped superior seed trees and stands, record GPS coordinates, conduct a preliminary condition assessment, take photos, and update records.
Information will be validated by a forester to determine suitability of the trees and stands for cone collection, for the forest’s reforestation projects and may also provide seeds for nurseries such as the Santa Clara Tribal nursery.
RMYC-NM was able to find one crew member from local indigenous youth and a retired Tribal forester for the project.
The project model is planned to be expanded to the Carson NF in 2024 and potentially other Tribal communities in New Mexico to re-inventory other superior seed trees while providing opportunities for Tribal youth in the Rio Chama CFLRP landscape.