River Rescue

The riparian habitats of New Mexico's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands are in a state of crisis:

95% of New Mexico's riparian areas are gone
Flood control has eliminated the seasonal flooding native species must have to reproduce
Exotic species have taken over hundreds of thousands of acres of the state's riparian ecosystems, displacing wildlife, eliminating native flora, and using large amounts of water
The cottonwood and willow bosques of New Mexico are home to more than 80 state and federally listed threatened and endangered species

Tree New Mexico's River Rescue program focuses on this crisis. Working with volunteers and other organizations, we are acting to help preserve and restore riparian habitats through a wide-range of activities including: planting poles and native vegetation, eradicating exotics, cleaning-up parks and other riparian areas, educating in the classroom, promoting healthy water catchments and forests, creating publications, and using public outreach and advocacy efforts.

Pole Planting

Early every year, Tree New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division coordinate the efforts of volunteer groups who work to restore the Bosque by "pole planting."

In this process, cottonwood and willow tree "poles" are cut and planted during the dormant winter season. Poles are usually suckers that come up from the base of an older, established tree. The poles are fairly straight, stripped of most of their lateral branches (leaving the top 15-25 percent), and run from 10 to 18 feet long and from two to four inches in caliper. There are no roots. Holes six to ten feet deep (reaching the water table) are drilled along waterways and the poles are "planted," and the holes backfilled by the volunteer groups.

When spring hits, the poles send out new leaves along the remaining branches, and roots along the shaft of the buried part of the pole. As the tree establishes its new and more traditional root system, the buried part of the pole begins to rot away. This restoration method is very cost effective, establishing a forest of six to twelve foot tall trees in a few years time with an estimated survival rate of about 85 percent!