No Project List (Yet): Lincoln National Forest Weighs In on New 20-Year Stewardship Agreement
According to LNF, project reviews indicate a future focus on fire-fuel reduction work: thinning, prescribed burns, timber sales, and mastication. Plus: watersheds, wildlife habitat, and grazing lands
The U.S. Forest Service and the state of New Mexico signed a new 20-year Shared Stewardship Agreement on July 22, and while the deal covers every national forest in the state, local officials say it’s too early to know exactly what it will mean on the ground here in Otero County.
“The agreement expands opportunities for timber production, new wood uses, landscape restoration, and reducing wildfire risk to communities, ecosystems, and local economies across New Mexico,” the USFS press release announcing the agreement states.
Jorden Scott, public affairs officer for the Lincoln National Forest, confirmed the agreement applies fully to the Lincoln, but cautioned that no project list has been developed for the forest yet.
“The newly signed Shared Stewardship Agreement covers the entire state of New Mexico, overlapping all of the National Forests within it,” Scott said. “This includes the Lincoln National Forest, so the agreement and the opportunities it creates are fully applicable to the Lincoln.”
What Happens Next
The agreement’s 20-year timeline mirrors the planning horizon the signing parties are working with, according to Scott.
The next concrete step is a regional review, not a Lincoln-specific one: a regional team will review projects across the state that overlap with work on Forest Service lands in New Mexico, then begin prioritizing efforts that could fit under the agreement and fall on the Lincoln.
That review is expected to focus on fire-fuel reduction work, such as thinning, prescribed burns, timber sales, and mastication, with knock-on benefits for watersheds, wildlife habitat, and grazing lands, Scott said.
Official Word
While nothing is finalized, Scott pointed to two ongoing efforts on the Lincoln that could eventually align with the agreement: post-fire recovery work near Ruidoso and forest management activities within the South Sacramento Restoration Project area.
“As planning progresses, we may see alignment with some of our ongoing high-priority efforts,” Scott said, adding that “there are several potential opportunities on the Lincoln and likely within other national forests across New Mexico.”
More clarity should come as the agreement moves into its project-planning phase, Scott’s office indicated, with visibility into what it means for the Lincoln expected to improve from there.
According to a Forest Service press release announcing the signing, the agreement is designed to let state, county, and tribal partners carry out priority projects on federal land where those boundaries overlap, expanding who can do the work, not just how much gets done.
Locally, Scott framed the payoff in terms of capacity: the collaborative approach is meant to strengthen capacity, improve efficiency, and expand the forest’s ability to deliver critical work that benefits not just the forest itself but also the surrounding rural communities.
The agreement builds on a 2019 shared stewardship pact between the Forest Service and New Mexico and advances Executive Order 14225, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, which allows the Forest Service to authorize states, counties, and federally recognized tribes to carry out certain projects on federal land.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz called it a “20-year commitment” meant to accelerate restoration and reduce wildfire risk across millions of acres across the state.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham framed the agreement’s payoff in more immediate terms: more crews thinning overgrown forest and cutting fuel loads before the next fire season.
For now, the Lincoln National Forest’s role in that effort remains a question of when and where, not if, with Scott’s office signaling that updates will follow as regional planning takes shape.
Having a Say: The Southern New Mexico RAC
Residents looking for a direct role in shaping which projects move forward have an avenue outside the Shared Stewardship Agreement itself: the Southern New Mexico Resource Advisory Committee (RAC).
The national forests of southern New Mexico, including the Lincoln, are currently recruiting nine to 15 volunteers for the committee, which recommends how Secure Rural Schools Title II federal funds get spent on projects spanning Grant, Catron, Sierra, Socorro, Lincoln, and Otero counties.
Those funds benefit public lands within the Gila, Lincoln, and Cibola national forests, and committee members vote on projects covering road, trail, and campground maintenance, rangeland support, wildlife habitat restoration, invasive weed control, and watershed protection.
The Forest Service is prioritizing applicants with local knowledge of the region and aiming for a balanced roster that represents organized labor, timber, mining, grazing, environmental groups, elected office, and tribal nations.
How to apply: Interested residents must submit a completed USDA AD-755 interest and background-check form to Southern New Mexico RAC Coordinator Nathaniel Marquard, either by mail (Gila National Forest, Attn: Nathaniel Marquard, 3005 E Camino del Bosque, Silver City, NM 88061) or by email at SM.FS.SouthernNM.RAC@usda.gov.
There is no fixed cutoff. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the committee is full, so early submissions are encouraged.
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