BLM Announces Brush Thinning Treatments in San Juan, Rio Arriba and Sandoval counties
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FARMINGTON, N.M. ‒ The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in partnership with the San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District and the Farmington Field Office, will treat approximately 9,000 acres of sagebrush beginning on or about Oct. 16, 2019. Thinning treatments will occur on BLM-managed, State, and private lands within San Juan, Rio Arriba and Sandoval counties in northwestern New Mexico where sagebrush densities have surpassed historic, naturally occurring levels.
The objective of the treatments is to improve plant species diversity, which will benefit wildlife, rangeland and watershed health by reducing the density of sagebrush, and result in an increase of native grasses, forbs and other herbaceous vegetation.
A low-flying airplane will drop Tebuthiuron pellets, a soil-applied herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, on creosote bush and juniper trees. At the planned rate and timing of application, the herbicide will have minimal impact on desirable grasses and forbs. Because the herbicide is applied in pellet form, it will not drift from the treated areas. When the pellets dissolve with favorable precipitation, they are absorbed into the ground to a depth of approximately two feet and taken up by the target plants root system, eventually reducing the sagebrush density. The pellets will not be dropped near waterways or on slopes greater than 10%. Tebuthiuron has been used to thin many bush species including creosote bush and juniper trees since the 1980s, and the benefits of its application are well documented.
For further information, contact Melissa May with the San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District at 505-334-3090 or the BLM Farmington Field Office Rangeland Management Specialist Barbara Witmore at 505-564-7696.
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.