Tribal and Traditional Community Partnership: Generations of Stewardship
Tribal and traditional community leadership supports adaptive restoration to promote healthy forests and waters long into the future.
Overview
The 2-3-2 Partnership acknowledges the long history of land dispossession and separation of people from historical fire, forest, and watershed practices. In the 2-3-2, we learn from what our Tribal and traditional community partners choose to share and we work with them to implement forest and watershed restoration projects so that all lands are resilient to high-severity wildfire, and that all waters continue to flow.
All Hands All Lands Burn Network
The All Hands All Lands Burn Network (AHAL) provides training, planning, coordination, and implementation of prescribed fire throughout northern New Mexico. Working across state, Tribal, private, and federal jurisdictions, AHAL is a network of fire practitioners that come together when it is time to put fire on the ground. Tribal fire programs, including Santa Clara Pueblo, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Jemez, and Picuris Pueblo, are a crucial component of AHAL, providing local knowledge and an experienced wildland fire workforce. The AHAL network is funded and managed by The Nature Conservancy NM and Forest Stewards Guild.
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AHAL coordinates training, planning, and implementation of prescribed fire across jurisdictions throughout northern New Mexico, bringing together Tribal fire programs, federal agencies, and private landowners to safely put fire on the ground.
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Since 2018, AHAL has assisted with the implementation of over 34,000 acres of prescribed fire in northern New Mexico. This is only possible through collaboration with Tribal partners. Indigenous peoples were the original stewards of this land, often using fire, and this tradition of stewardship continues today.
Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Forest Protection Act
Santa Clara Pueblo, in partnership with the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project (CFLRP), built workforce capacity and implemented forest and watershed restoration treatments on Tribal and US Forest Service managed lands. This cross-fenceline work is essential for post-fire recovery in Santa Clara Canyon and to reduce the impacts of future wildland fires.
The Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) allows tribes to propose and lead projects on federally managed lands.
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Santa Clara Pueblo and the Rio Chama CFLRP secured three years of funding through TFPA. Santa Clara Pueblo Forestry Division worked with numerous 2-3-2 Partners to expand their workforce, develop a Tribal Tree Nursery, and implement on-the-ground work to restore the forests and waters of Santa Clara Canyon.
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Santa Clara Pueblo developed a Tribal Nursery Business Plan which helped secure funding for building the Tribal Tree Nursery which began operation in 2026.
Santa Clara Pueblo implemented fuels treatments and watershed restoration projects on lands managed by both the Pueblo and Santa Fe National Forest.
Santa Clara Pueblo established a community fuelwood bank to provide fire and fuel wood to tribal members in need.
Community Firewood Banks
Within the 2-3-2 landscape, fire and fuel wood are how we heat our homes. Community firewood banks rely on wood from forest restoration projects and bring neighbors together to buck, split, and deliver that wood to people unable to harvest the firewood themselves. Community firewood banks provide fuel to communities, support forest restoration, and promote neighbor to neighbor connection, a win-win-win.
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Multiple firewood banks operate in the 2-3-2 landscape and with wood harvested through the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project.
The National Forest Foundation Wood for Life program provides connectivity, funding, and administrative support.
The Chama Peak Land Alliance Firewood for Seniors program employees part-time workers and volunteers to deliver wood to community members in the Upper Chama Valley.
The Juan Bautista Valdez Land Grant launched a community firewood bank in 2026 to support community members in and around Coyote, NM.
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Coming soon, check back for updates