Heat, drought, and bark beetles are accelerating tree deaths across New Mexico, according to a new state report.
The New Mexico Forestry Division’s 2025 Forest Health Conditions Report revealed that about 382,000 acres of forests and woodlands across the state. It showed telltale signs of damage from insects, disease, and drought.
Scientists say some of the greatest threats intensified dramatically, although the overall affected area has declined slightly from the previous year. Foremost among them was a surge in bark beetle activity. Tree mortality due to bark beetles expanded from about 67,000 acres in 2024 to 209,000 acres in 2025. Ponderosa pine mortality increased nearly five times to 155,000 acres, while piñon pine mortality increased from less than 1,000 acres to more than 33,000 acres.
The increase is tied to hotter and drier conditions, which weaken trees, reducing their capacity to defend themselves against insect attacks. Healthy trees produce resin that can help repel beetles. But persistent drought leaves many forests vulnerable.
“Being an insect that is temperature driven with respect to its biology, the longer the temperatures stay warmer into the season, especially into fall, we definitely see some late activity with respect to bark beetle attack on piñon pine,” said Victor Lucero, Forest Health Program Coordinator of the New Mexico State Forestry Division.
By the end of 2025, moderate drought spread across nearly three‑quarters of New Mexico, while severe drought affected more than half the state. The average temperature reached 56.2 degrees, making the year the second warmest on record. Rainfall totaled just 12.52 inches, ranking 2025 one of the state’s driest years.
Although some insect outbreaks subsided, others have increased. The loss of foliage caused by insects and disease fell by more than half across the state, mainly because western spruce budworm activity receded. But Douglas-fir tussock moth infestations expanded from 18,000 acres to 42,000 acres, and piñon needle scale damage grew to 39,000 acres.
Scientists also recorded a 66 percent increase in drought-related stress statewide. Areas recovering from recent wildfires remain particularly vulnerable, as fragile ecosystems confront shifting climate patterns and recurring insect attacks.
The report portrays that New Mexico’s woodlands are entering a period marked by rising temperatures and prolonged aridity, creating increasingly favorable conditions for pests and disease. Southern portions of the state, especially ponderosa and piñon forests, have experienced some of the highest rates of tree mortality. Forest managers continue restoration initiatives and fuel-reduction projects to reduce wildfire risk and improve ecosystem resilience. But the report highlights the level of the challenge facing one of the Southwest’s defining environments.
The findings signal a sobering reality. Even as some outbreaks decreased, climate-driven stressors are creating conditions for new threats to emerge, leaving the state’s forests increasingly fragile.