WILDLAND FORESTERS ARE CONCERNED WITH LAND FEES AND LUMBER.

WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH IS HOW DO WE KEEP OUR TREES HEALTHY, HOW DO WE GROW GOOD TREES, HOW DO WE GROW THEM IN A WAY THAT KEEPS THEM SAFE FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK AND MOVE AROUND THOSE TREES.

SO, THIS IS A PLANTING THAT I THINK IS A REALLY NICE EXAMPLE, I REALLY LIKE THIS.

THESE TREES HAVE BEEN -- JORAN VIERS IS A FORESTER WHO WORKS NOT IN THE FOREST, BUT RIGHT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE.

HE PAYS ATTENTION TO THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST, THE TREES IN OUR PARKS AND MEDIANS, NEIGHBORHOODS AND YARDS.

MY ROLE IS LARGELY IN THE PARKS, BUT ALSO MORE BROADLY TO OVERSEE TREE CARE IN THE CITY IN TERMS OF PLANNING AND PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE AND REMOVALS, AND JUST TRYING TO HAVE KIND OF AN OVERALL VISION OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH OUR URBAN FOREST.

HOW DO WE SUPPORT IT, AND HOW DO WE ALLOW IT TO GIVE US THE BENEFITS THAT AN URBAN FOREST DOES PROVIDE.

AND THOSE BENEFITS ARE MANY, FROM PROVIDING HABITATS FOR WILDLIFE TO THE ELECTRICITY SAVINGS FROM THE VALUABLE SHADE THE TREES PROVIDE.

WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS HEAT ISLAND EFFECT ISSUE IN THIS CITY BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE CONCRETE, THE ASPHALT, THE GRAVEL OUT THERE, AND THAT KIND OF GREEN SHADE REALLY HELPS TO BRING THAT DOWN.

WE ALSO HAVE STORM WATER RETENTION BENEFITS, AND THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE'RE INCREASINGLY LOOKING AT.

HOW DO WE DESIGN OUR STORM WATER SYSTEMS SO THAT WE CAN BRING THAT WATER INTO THE LANDSCAPE FIRST AND SETTLE IT THERE BEFORE IT HITS THE WHOLE STORM WATER SYSTEM, AND THAT ACTUALLY MAKES THAT SYSTEM LAST A LOT LONGER.

HERE YOU CAN SEE A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE VALUE OF SOIL VOLUME FOR TREES AND HOW WELL THEY CAN GROW.

WE'VE GOT THESE TREES THAT WERE PLANTED IN THIS FAIRLY WIDE CUT-OUT WITH PLANT MATERIAL ALL THROUGHOUT AND IRRIGATION ALL THROUGHOUT.

THESE SYCAMORES WERE PLANTED LESS THAN FOURS YEARS AGO, AND THEY HAVE JUST SHOT UP OUT OF THE GROUND, AND IN LARGE PART THAT'S DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE UNCOMPACTED IRRIGATED SOIL, A SUFFICIENT VOLUME OF THAT TO REALLY ALLOW FOR GOOD GROWTH.

SO WE CAN LOOK AND SEE, THEY'RE HOLDING LOTS OF LEAVES, NICE THICK CANOPY, NOT A LOT OF BLUE SKY THAT YOU CAN SEE THROUGH IT, NOT A LOT OF DEAD BRANCH TIPS IN THE CANOPY, AND THAT TELLS US THAT THESE ARE TREES GROWING REALLY WELL.

WHAT WE SEE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET IS THE SAME SPECIES PLANTED AT THE SAME TIME, GOING IN AT THE SAME SIZE, AND THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THOSE TREES IS MUCH SMALLER THAN THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THESE TREES.

THEY'RE DOING OKAY, BUT WHAT'S LIMITING THEM IS THEY'RE IN A VERY NARROW CUT-OUT AND THERE ISN'T A WHOLE LOT OF EXTRA IRRIGATION GOING IN THERE TO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL PLANT MATERIAL.

SO THEY'RE ALREADY BEGINNING TO FEEL THE EFFECT OF THAT LIMITED SOIL VOLUME.

SO THE RIGHT KIND OF SOIL AND IRRIGATION ARE KEY, BUT VIERS SAYS THAT COSTS MONEY, WHICH LEADS TO ANOTHER PLANNING DECISION, ONE OF QUALITY OVER QUANTITY.

MAYBE IN NEW DEVELOPMENTS WE REQUIRE LESS TREES, BUT WE REQUIRE MORE RESOURCES PER TREE, SO THAT WE THEN ACTUALLY GET THE RESULTS THAT WE WANT WITHOUT OVERLY BURDENING THE DEVELOPER WITH THE COST OF INSTALLATION.

I WOULD RATHER HAVE TWO OR THREE REALLY NICE TREES THAN 10 THAT HAVE TO BE PULLED OUT EVERY FIVE YEARS BECAUSE THEY'RE DEAD AGAIN.

AND WHAT KIND OF TREES YOU DECIDE TO PLANT IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.

THE CITY HAS COME UP WITH SOME UNIQUE APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY SPECIES THAT WORK IN OUR UNIQUE CLIMATE, ESPECIALLY AS THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUE TO HIT HOME.

WE HAVE A LITTLE NURSERY THAT THE CITY RUNS, AND MY VISION FOR THAT NURSERY IS TO USE IT AS KIND OF A TESTING GROUND.

LET'S BRING IN STUFF THAT ISN'T CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET LOCALLY, BUT APPEARS LIKE IT WOULD DO WELL, GROW IT UP IN THE NURSERY TO A SIZE WHERE WE CAN PUT IT OUT INTO PARKS AND OTHER LANDSCAPES, AND THEN SEE HOW IT DOES.

BECAUSE IN THE END, VIERS SAYS, THE VITALITY OF A CITY CAN BE MEASURED IN PART BY THE HEALTH OF ITS TREES AND PLANT LIFE.

THERE'S GOOD RESEARCH FROM THE SOCIAL SCIENCES ABOUT HOW MUCH THE EXPOSURE TO NATURE PROVIDES EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS.

IN A RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT, YOU FIND LOWER LEVELS OF STRESS, YOU FIND MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

AND SO THERE'S JUST A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF BENEFITS THAT THE URBAN FOREST CAN HELP US WITH.

FOR NEW MEXICO InFOCUS AND OUR LAND, I'M LAURA PASKUS.