New Mexico’s forests are dying faster than at any time on record. In 2025, the state mapped 209,000 acres of trees killed by bark beetles and other insects, which was more than a 200% increase over the year before, according to a newly released report from the New Mexico Forestry Division. And the main impetus for that arboreal death was the state’s dwindling water supply.
“At the beginning of January 2025, 35% of the state was in moderate drought and 20% in severe drought,” the report read. “By the end of December 2025, 71% of the state was in moderate drought and 52% was in severe drought.”
