BLM to begin sagebrush treatments in San Juan, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval counties
FARMINGTON, N.M. — The Bureau of Land Management, in partnership with the San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, will treat approximately 17,200 acres of sagebrush to improve watershed health in the San Juan and Colorado watersheds. The treatments, spread over BLM, state, and private lands within San Juan, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval counties in northwest New Mexico, will reduce sagebrush densities in areas surpassing historic and naturally occurring levels.
“Sagebrush treatments improve plant species diversity, which will benefit wildlife, rangeland, and watershed health by reducing the density of sagebrush,” said Farmington Field Office Rangeland Management Specialist Barbara Witmore. “This will improve available water in the root zone to plants, which results in an increase of native grasses, forbs, and other herbaceous vegetation.”
During precipitation events, overly dense sagebrush can slow water flows, reducing water runoff and soil erosion into tributaries of and to the San Juan River, which is needed to reduce salinity in the Colorado River. The sagebrush reduction treatments in the Farmington Field Office are supported by funding from the Congressional Colorado Basin River Salinity Control Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding also supports BLM Fire Program landscape projects to reduce wildfire fuels and improve watershed health.
Treatments will take place across multiple sites, beginning Oct. 9, 2024, and continuing through approximately Oct. 16, 2024. To apply the treatment, a low-flying aircraft will drop Tebuthiuron pellets, a soil-activated herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, on the sagebrush. The herbicide will have minimal impact on desirable grasses and forbs and will not drift away from treated areas.
When the pellets dissolve, they are absorbed into the ground to a depth of approximately two feet, and into the target plants’ root system, eventually reducing the sagebrush plant cover. The pellets will not be dropped near waterways or on slopes greater than ten percent.
For more information, please contact Farmington Field Office Rangeland Management Specialist Barbara Witmore at 505-490-2073 or Gary Hathorn with the San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District at 505-320-5056.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.