THIS HISTORY GROWTH WHICH IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES ON THE PRESERVE THAT DID NOT GET LOGGED IN 1960'S AND 70'S.

IT SHOWS VERY TYPICAL FOREST STRUCTURE OF WHAT SOUTHWESTERN FOREST WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE PRIOR TO HUMAN OCCUPATION.

BOB AND OTHER SCIENTISTS USE THE HISTORY GROWTH IN THE VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE TO SHOW STUDENTS AND VISITORS WHAT A HEALTHY FOREST SHOULD LOOK LIKE IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO.

PROBABLY A VERY OPEN GRASSY UNDERSTORY, ONLY A FEW LOGS ON THE GROUND AND NO BRANCHES COMING DOWN TO THE GROUND.

THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE FIRES COMING THROUGH HERE ALL THE TIME, EVERY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, A LOW INTENSITY FIRE WOULD BURN THROUGH, KILL THE YOUNG TREES, BURN UP THE STUMPS AND LOGS, BURN UP THE NEEDLES.

BUT MOST OF THE FOREST AROUND VALLES CALDERA ISN'T HEALTHY.

FIRE SUPRESSION WAS THE PRIORITY FOR DECADES AND LED TO OVERGROWTH OF TREES AND THAT CREATED DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR FAST HOT WILDFIRES LIKE THE CERRO GRANDE IN 2000 AND LOS CONCHAS IN 2011.

A LOT OF OUR FOREST TODAY ARE WHAT WE REFER TO AS DOG HAIR THICKETS.

THAT IS THEY ARE YOUNG TREES THAT AS THICK AS THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF A DOG.

AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO, BEFORE WE CAN GET NATURAL FIRE INVOLVED THERE, IS TO THIN THOSE FORESTS OUT, REMOVE AS MUCH FUEL AS WE CAN TO GET THEM DOWN TO ABOUT 100 TREES PER ACRE.

THIS IS 40 TREES PER ACRE.

SO, IF WE CAN REDUCE IT DOWN FROM 500 OR 1000 TREES PER ACRE TO 100, THEN WE CAN START GETTING NATURAL FIRES BACK IN THE SYSTEM.

FOR ALMOST A DECADE, TWO PROGRAMS HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER TRIBES, SCIENTISTS, LAND MANAGERS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND THE TIMBER INDUSTRY TO PLAN HOW TO MANAGE THE FORESTS TO MAKE IT HEALTHIER.

STAKEHOLDERS ARE WORKING ON MORE THAN 200,000 ACRES.

THE REALLY GREAT THING ABOUT OUR COLLABORATIVE HERE IS THAT IT INVOLVES EVERYBODY, MULTIPLE AGENCIES THAT HAVE JURISDICTION OVER LAND UNITS.

IT INVOLVES UNIVERSITIES, IT INVOLVES ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, FOREST INDUSTRY GROUPS, SO IT IS EVERYBODY THAT USED VIEW EACH OTHER ACROSS THE TABLE IN A COURTROOM ARE NOW SITTING DOWN TOGETHER AND ALL RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM AND WORKING TOGETHER TO DEVELOP THE PLANS TO RESTORE THESE FORESTS.

SO FAR, IN OUR EIGHT YEARS OF OPERATION HERE, WE HAVEN'T SPENT A SINGLE NICKEL ON LAWYERS.

SO IT HAS BEEN ALL DEVOTED VOTED TO OPERATIONS ON THE GROUND TO REALLY HELP THE FOREST RECOVER.

THIS SUMMER, A FIRE STARTED FROM A CAMP FIRE IN THE JEMEZ.

KNOWING THAT CONDITIONS COULD BE RIGHT FOR ANOTHER BAD FIRE, FIREFIGHTERS ACTED FAST.

IT BURNED ABOUT 1400 ACRES, INCLUDING AN AREA MANAGERS HAD ALREADY MARKED FOR RESTORATION.

HARRELLSON PLAYS A ROLE IN THIS ASPECT OF THE COLLABORATION.

SO I MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER A STAND OF TREES NEEDS TO BE CUT OR NOT AND IF SO HOW SHOULD IT BE CUT, WHICH TREES SHOULD REMAIN AND WHICH ONES SHOULD BE CUT.

THIS IS AN UNEVEN EDGE STAND MEANING THERE IS LARGE TREES, MEDIUM TREES AND SMALL TREES, AND THAT IS GOOD.

WHEN YOU HAVE AN UNEVEN EDGE STAND, IT CAN MAINTAIN ITSELF OVER TIME BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY TREES IN HERE.

SO WE WERE GOING TO THIN IT OUT BUT STILL LEAVE LARGE TREES, MEDIUM AND SOME SAPLINGS AND MAKE SOME OPENINGS IN HERE SO THAT THE LIGHT COULD GET TO THE GROUND SO THAT THE SNOW COULD GET TO THE GROUND AND MELT IN TO THE GROUND SO THERE WOULD BE MORE GRASS AND FLOWERS GROWING ON THE FOREST FLOOR.

THE COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM STARTED BEFORE THE LOS CONCHAS FIRE.

THAT MEANS THEY ARE ABLE TO STUDY THE IMPACTS OF DEVASTATING FIRES AS WELL AS THE HEALTHY LOW INTENSITY KIND OF FIRES THAT ARE A NATURAL PART OF THE SOUTHWESTERN FOREST.

THEY ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO HOW TREES RESPOND.

WE ARE STARTING TO GET MONSOONS ALREADY SO SOME OF THESE TREES MIGHT BE ABLE TO PULL THROUGH AS THEY GET ENOUGH RAIN, EVEN THOUGH ALL THE NEEDLES ARE SCORCHED, IF THEY GET ENOUGH MOISTURE THEY CAN PUT OUT A FRESH BATCH OF NEEDLES AND POSSIBLY PULL THROUGH.

WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

FOREST MANAGEMENT IS COSTLY.

SEEING THE BENEFITS CAN TAKE YEARS, BUT IT IS PAYING OFF.

THE RESEARCH PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN MONITORING ALL OF THESE ASPECTS OF THE RESTORATION PROGRAM HAVE SHOWN FAIRLY CONVINCINGLY THAT RESTORATION PROJECTS ARE HAVING THE DESIRED EFFECTS.

WE ARE SEEING REDUCTION IN FUEL LOAD.

WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN GRASSES IN FOREST.

WE ARE SEEING GREATER AREAS WITH SNOW PACK.

SO A LOT OF THE PREDICTIONS FROM THIS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE TRUE.