Preserve clears Russian olives

SANTA FE — An invasive plant from central Asia and southern Russia is sucking wetlands in northern New Mexico dry and officials in the area want to see the tree gone.

Officials from the Santa Fe Botanical Garden recently removed Russian olive trees from 6.5 acres in the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve as part of a long-term preservation effort, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported .

“Our biggest intent with tackling the Russian olive is to keep the ciénega (wetlands) wet,” said Botanical Garden Director of Horticulture Scott Canning.

“When they leap out in the spring, the water table drops 4 feet,” he said, noting the trees “are notorious for removing water from the ground.”

Russian olives are also a problem in the Santa Fe National Forest. The trees grow in midrange elevations, including along the Jemez River, where they compete with native trees for water.

Cecil Rich of the U.S. Forest Service said the federal government would like to do something to control the Russian olive, adding that could be done by pulling them up by the roots or with herbicides.

The Forest Service has an environmental impact statement in progress under the National Environmental Policy Act. If herbicide use were authorized, approval from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture would be required, he said.