Mop up operations continued along the northern edge of the Gila National Forest fire. The fire grew to more than 190,000 acres, or nearly 300 square miles, as of May 31, racing across the area's steep, ponderosa pine-covered hills and through its rugged canyons in New Mexico near the Arizona border. John Roads/U.S. Forest Service Gila National Forest/AP
Firefighters conduct burnout operations – controlled fires that eliminate fuel surrounding a wildfire – at the Gila National Forest blaze in New Mexico, near the Arizona border. The wildfire grew May 31, 2012, to more than 190,000 acres, or nearly 300 square miles. Steven Meister/U.S. Forest Service Gila National Forest/AP
Deputy Incident Cmdr. Pruett Small talks about the work firefighters have done to protect the community of Mogollon, N.M., during a briefing at base camp in Reserve, N.M., on May 31, 2012. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
A massive blaze in the Gila National Forest is seen from Cliff, N.M., on May 29, 2012. Fire officials said the wildfire has become the largest fire in New Mexico history. U.S. Forest Service/AP
An evacuation order was issued May 26, 2012, because of a wildfire at the Whitewater-Baldy Complex, a privately owned ghost town, in Mogollon, N.M. Fire officials said the blaze has shrunk slightly to 82,000 acres but is still 0 percent contained because of weather conditions. InciWeb Incident Information System/AP
Smoke billows from the site of wildfires at the Whitewater-Baldy Complex in southwestern New Mexico in the Gila National Forest May 23, 2012. The fire, started by a lightning strike, has been burning out of control for 11 days. U.S. Forest Service/Reuters
A satellite image shows the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fires burning in western New Mexico on May 24, 2012. Blazes in rugged, mountainous areas of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah have forced the evacuation of a few small towns and torched at least 170 square miles of forest, brush, and grass since midmonth. NASA/Reuters
Flames from the Las Conchas fire burn in Los Alamos, N.M., in the Jemez Mountains on June 28, 2011. Fire managers say it's a 'make or break day' for ensuring flames from a wildfire don't race into a northern New Mexico town that is home to a government nuclear laboratory that stores sensitive materials. Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal/AP
The Las Conchas fire burns near the Los Alamos Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. A vicious wildfire spread through the mountains, driving thousands of people from their homes as officials at the government nuclear laboratory tried to dispel concerns about the safety of sensitive materials. Jae C. Hong/AP
New Mexico Army National Guardsmen Pfc. Sam Fischer (r.) and Spc. Orlando Bencomo watch the sky glow orange from smoke and the setting sun, while manning an observation post near the entrance to Los Alamos National Laboratory, in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 27, 2011. Pat Vasquez-Cunningham/The Albuquerque Journal/AP
This image was taken by a crew member aboard the International Space Station on June 27, 2011, showing the major fire in the Jemez Mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest in north-central New Mexico. The fire is just southwest of Los Alamos National Laboratories. NASA/AP
Los Alamos residents Ross Van Lyssel (l.) and Steve Bowers watch flames from the Las Conchas fire in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. Jae C. Hong/AP
Smoke from the Las Conchas fire fills the sky near the Los Alamos Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. Jae C. Hong/AP
Hotshot crew members walk in line at Pajarito Mountain ski area near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. Firefighters battled a vicious wildfire that was spreading through the mountains above the northern New Mexico town that is home to a government nuclear laboratory. Jae C. Hong/AP
Hotshot crew members mop up in Pajarito Mountain ski area near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. Jae C. Hong/AP
Los Alamos National Lab director Charles McMillan speaks about the safety facilities in connection with the Las Conchas wildfire during a news conference in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. Craig Fritz/Reuters
Add to the long-studied global-warming perils of drought, insects, and wildfires, a new potential threat to the pinyon pine: dramatically lower production of seed-bearing cones.
Over the past decade, researchers have documented the increased vulnerability of large stands of a Southwestern forest icon – the pinyon pine – to the dangers associated with a warming climate: drought, insects, and wildfires.
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