The Southwestern Region is 20.6 million acres. There are six national forests in Arizona, five national forests and a national grassland in New Mexico, and one national grassland each in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle.The region ranges in elevation from 1,600 feet above sea level and an annual rain fall of 8 inches in Arizona's lower Sonoran Desert to 13,171-foot high Wheeler Peak and over 35 inches of precipitation a year in northern New Mexico. map of forest locations »
Here in the Southwestern Region, we feel a particularly close connection to Smokey Bear and his message of fire-prevention. We are the home of the orphaned black bear cub that would become a living symbol. While we celebrate 75 years of Smokey Bear as an integral part of the nation’s popular culture, let’s take a look back at his captivating story!
How do you produce 10,000 handmade Christmas ornaments and transport a 60-foot tree across the United States just in time for the holidays? That’s the question being posed to the folks at the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico this year, and they’ve responded with a resounding, “With a little help from our partners!”
![[Photo] Rider on an ATV riding down a sand dune.](/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fsbdev3_020444_tn.jpg)
