Category: Trail Projects

20+ NMVFO volunteers met at the Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, and hiked to the bosque along the Rio Grande to remove invasive tamarisk (salt cedar) and Russian olive trees, and leave the surviving native plants.

The brush was quite thick. We used hand saws to cut trees close to the ground, and then dragged cut limbs and dead trees to piles that will later be chipped/shredded.

Will this be NMVFO’s last project for the year?

NMVFO and Tree New Mexico volunteers and USFS staff planted 500 pine and douglas fir seedlings in a burn area near Red Canyon Campground in the Manzanos.

This was the first time several of us got a chance to plant conifer seedlings, and we were eager to learn. A dibble tool makes a wedge shaped hole in the ground, which is a good fit for the conical root ball of the seedling. Often we will try to locate the seedling near a stump or log for extra protection.

Fill the hole with dirt, taking care to remove all air pockets, which would damage the roots.

Then we add a plastic cover to protect from deer and weather, which will be removed in about 2 years.

NMVFO volunteers improved trails at the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Santa Fe. The trail gets a lot of use, and needed the addition of several rolling dips and other remediation.

Afterwards the Audubon staff gave us a tour of the historic Randall Davey house. Davey was a painter and colorful figure in the early Santa Fe arts community.

The tour was really quite good, with many interesting stories about the artist. The staff gives a guided tour each Friday, so go check it out.