The Albuquerque Forestry Sciences Laboratory lab employs six scientists and a variety of technical and post-doctoral support with expertise in such areas as wildlife biology, ecology, range science, botany, fisheries research, and archaeology and anthropology. The lab conducts research in two primary areas:
- southwestern grasslands and riparian ecosystems and
- restoration and sustainability of the Middle Rio Grande Basin ecosystem.
The city of Albuquerque sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet in the Rio Grande Valley.
Albuquerque lab scientists are engaged in evaluating how fire and climate change affect conditions of southwestern grasslands and maintain the diversity of native plant species while controlling invasive and woody plant species. Research also focuses on the effects of prescribed and wild fires as well as fuel removal on riparian ecosystems, water quality, and plant and animal species. In addition, social science researchers at the lab are examining public preferences concerning Forest Service fire and fuels management programs and exploring the importance of traditional economic practices, such as small-scale ranching, to maintaining cultural heritage and economic viability among forest users in northern New Mexico. Scientists are also studying how natural and human influences affect the survival of threatened, endangered, and sensitive species in the southwest.
The Albuquerque Lab engages in an active program of conservation education and outreach through participation in such events as Earth Day, the "Kids in the Woods" program, and the New Mexico State Fair.
Last Modified: January 13 2009