The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) has partnered with the University of Maryland and NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) to harness the power of New Mexico’s forests to help combat climate change. 

For over a decade, NASA’s CMS, led by Department of Geographical Sciences Professor George Hurtt, has worked with the State of Maryland to prototype a system for monitoring forest carbon stocks using remote sensing (aircraft or satellite) data. Estimates of carbon stocks and fluxes can be used to better inform state policymakers, agencies, and other stakeholders about climate-related policies and planning. As the CMS expands beyond Maryland to operate at national and global scales, new research aims to use this science to inform the State of New Mexico’s land management practices as part of its commitment to addressing climate change. 

For more information, read the press release here.