In 2004, the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act (PL 108-317) established institutes in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico for the purpose of ensuring the best available science is used in the development, implementation, and monitoring of forest restoration treatments. Known as the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI), they include:
- Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado
- Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona
- New Mexico Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute (NMFWRI) at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico
SWERI foundational documents: