The NMVFO New Mexico Volunteers For the Outdoors held their first project of 2018, planting willows near the bosque for habitat restoration at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge south of Albuquerque.
We planted several hundred no-root willow poles in deep holes, already drilled with an auger. Last year our group completed a similar willow planting nearby.
The biggest challenge was breaking up sticky clay clumps into smaller pieces and tamping down the dirt in the hole to prevent large air voids that might interfere with root development.