WildEarth Guardians

Saturday, February 25, 2006
Carson, Santa Fe Forests: Weed-control plan rejected

Regional forester says plan fails to address environmental impact of herbicide
Contact: Staci Matlock Santa Fe New Mexican

Opponents of herbicide use in the Carson and Santa Fe national forests won a temporary victory Friday when the deputy regional forester rejected a proposed invasive-weed-control plan, sending it back to the two forests.

But though deputy regional forester Lucia M. Turner said she sees nothing wrong with the planned herbicide use, at least two of the shortcomings she found with the project involve such use.

Turner said she isn’t opposed to the forests’ using herbicides to control invasive weeds. “My decision to reverse the responsible officials’ decision does not suggest that use of herbicides is inappropriate for this project,” Turner said in a statement. The Carson and Santa Fe national forests will now have to redo the weed-control plan and have further public comment.

Turner reversed the decision by the two forest supervisors to implement the invasive-weed plan after reviewing eight appeals from more than two-dozen people opposed to the project. People allergic to chemicals, herbalists and a grass-fed-livestock organization are concerned about the proposed herbicide use.

Turner found that the project failed to address cumulative environmental impacts on wildlife such as the high-altitude grouse in the Taos Mountains called the white-tailed ptarmigan. She also found that the plan failed to address the state Environment Department's concern about the use of the herbicide picloram in watersheds surrounded by the forests.

The Santa Fe and Carson national forests have combined their efforts to control invasive non-native weeds such as thistle, knapweed and salt cedar on about 3 million acres of land.

The weeds spring up in isolated pockets on about 7,300 acres, mostly near trails and roads. Forest officials say this is the time to eradicate the weeds before they get out of control.

The weed-control plan, published in the fall, proposes using a variety of methods including pulling the weeds by hand, allowing goats to graze on the weeds and applying any of 11 herbicides.

Turner called the plan’s herbicide-risk assessment “well done” and suggested it be used in the development of future invasive-species-control projects.

Don DeLorenzo, director of wildlife, fish and rare plants for the Forest Service’s Southwestern Region, said invasive-plant control is critical work. “Without effective control,” he said in a statement, “invasive plants can do a lot of harm to ecosystems,” including degradation of watershed conditions and increased potential for harmful wildfire in typically fire-resistant areas.

Opponents say that methods such as hand weeding, mowing and using organic herbicides are as effective as the herbicides and less damaging to the environment. In addition, they say, the plan fails to address how weeds are spread by livestock, off-road vehicles and hikers.

Copyright 2006 Santa Fe New Mexican - Reprinted with permission