You would be more likely to encounter Idaho's state bird, the mountain bluebird, in a pinyon forest than New Mexico's state bird, the roadrunner. These are located mostly in western and central New Mexico, at elevations of 5,000 to 7,000 feet. New Mexico's state tree also grows in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. But this pinyon is most abundant in New Mexico. Nevada's official pinyon ranges from Utah's Wasatch mountains and mountainous areas of Nevada west to the Sierra Nevada mountains and south to Mexico.
Pinyons remain the most popular source of fuelwood in New Mexico.
Unfortunately, pinyons grow very slowly and seldom reach heights of more than thirty feet. Therefore, people have been forced to learn how to take better care of Southwest forests.