Through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Restore New Mexico initiative, the agency’s Las Cruces district office plans to use herbicides to control mesquite growth on approximately 13,000 acres in Dona Ana County.
The initiative, a collaboration that involves landowners, aims to bring back the state’s natural grasslands, woodlands and riverside areas to a healthier environmental condition by thinning out the overgrowth of mesquite, creosote and similar invasive desert shrubs.
Herbicide application is projected for June and July in the area southwest of the Las Cruces Airport, BLM said in a release. Not only will the treatment improve ground cover conditions and prevent erosion, but the project will also make it possible for wildlife to thrive and diversify.
Herbicides to be used for the project include Sendero (clopyralid + aminopyralid) and Remedy Ultra (triclopyr), the release said. The herbicides will target unwanted overgrowth while sparing beneficial grasses. Spraying will be executed from a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter.
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