Thomas W. Swetnam
PEEC News:
The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), in partnership with the Los Alamos History Museum and the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC), is pleased to host “Fire, Forests, and the Future of the Jemez” from 7–8:15 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium. Admission is free, and all are encouraged to attend.
Wildfire has shaped life in the Jemez Mountains for centuries—structuring forests, influencing cultures, and defining the relationship between people and place. In this compelling talk, renowned fire historian and dendrochronologist Thomas W. Swetnam will share what decades of tree‐ring and soil‐core research reveal about the region’s fire history. Drawing on a lifetime of scientific work, Swetnam will explore how wildfire patterns and forest conditions have shifted over time, and how these changes intersect with climate, land use, and cultural knowledge.
The presentation will also highlight the long relationship between the forests of the Jemez and the Hemish (Jemez Pueblo) and other Indigenous communities who have lived in and cared for these landscapes for generations. Their history of sustainable stewardship offers powerful lessons for today as land managers and communities work to restore healthier forests and prepare for a future shaped by fire.
About the Presenter
Thomas W. Swetnam is Regents Professor and Director Emeritus of the Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research at the University of Arizona. A graduate of both the University of New Mexico (BS) and the University of Arizona (MS, PhD), Swetnam has spent his career studying human land use, climate history, and forest fire ecology across the western United States, Mexico, South America, and Siberia.
His expertise has been called upon at the highest levels: he has testified before the U.S. Congress multiple times, served on advisory boards appointed by the Governor of Arizona, and was selected by the President of the United States to serve on the first Board of Trustees of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Swetnam is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Tree‐Ring Society and the Association for Fire Ecology.
Swetnam currently resides in Jemez Springs, where he and his wife Suzanne enjoy gardening, community volunteering, and tree‐ring dating of historic buildings, archaeological timbers, and fire scars. His most recent book, The Jemez Mountains: A Cultural and Natural History (University of New Mexico Press, 2025), offers a sweeping exploration of the region’s intertwined ecological and human stories.
This program is part of an ongoing collaboration between PEEC, the Los Alamos History Museum, and the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee to bring thoughtful, place‐based conversations to the community—conversations that deepen our understanding of the past while helping us imagine a more resilient future.
For more information, visit PEEC’s website at peecnature.org/events. Stay connected on social media for updates on each week’s activities.
PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts several interest groups, from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and gift shop merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit peecnature.org/support/membership/.