Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — According to a new report by the New Mexico Forestry Division and U.S. Forest Service, tree deaths tripled in New Mexico during 2025—the second warmest year on record. In the category of insect-killed trees alone, the number of acres mapped in 2025 with insect-related mortality in New Mexico was 209,000 acres, that’s an increase of 142,000 acres compared to 67,000 acres mapped with insect-related mortality in 2024. The NMFD said the state’s forests are persistently stressed by prolonged drought, rising temperatures, and resource competition due to too many trees on the landscape. In addition, the warm winter temperatures are extending the destructive activity of a major pest, the Bark Beetle. An overly dense, drought-stressed swath of forests provide a virtual buffet for the voracious insects
