The City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department and Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District implemented a forest health and wildfire risk reduction initiative starting December 2023 and was completed in April 2024. The City’s Open Space Division and Albuquerque Fire and Rescue secured a nearly $1,000,000 FEMA grant in 2019 to support this wildfire mitigation project to reduce the severity of catastrophic wildfires and support overall forest health. The City completed the first phase of the project by working with SWCA Environmental Consultants on a comprehensive Environmental Assessment and project plan that FEMA approved in September 2023. 

The planned project area was 470 acres on both the west and east sides of the Rio Grande, south of Bridge Boulevard to north of Central Avenue. Due to multiple factors, approximately 192 acres were ultimately completed in 2023/2024 with this funding source.

The project focused on the removal of non-native woody species which grow prolifically and act as ladder fuels under and around native willows and cottonwood trees and removing heavy accumulations of downed wood. This goal of the project was to improve the area's ecological integrity and reduce the hazardous fuel load that may contribute to catastrophic wildfires.

The project was managed and supported by several agencies, including Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, Albuquerque Open Space Division, Albuquerque Fire and Rescue, and the New Mexico Forestry Division, and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.