Thinning Treatments Planned to Strengthen Public Land Resilience and Wildfire Preparedness in Northern Taos County

Taos, N.M. – The Bureau of Land Management Taos Field Office, in partnership with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, will conduct aerial herbicide treatments across approximately 2,929 acres of BLM-managed lands in northern Taos County. These treatments willstrengthen public land health and resilience to better support multiple use objectives and mitigate wildfire risk. The treatment area is located north of Cerro Chiflo and east of Cerro de la Olla (“Pot Mountain”). Treatments will occur for approximately three days during the first two weeks of November,subject to favorable weather conditions.

These treatments enhance native plant diversity by thinning dense stands of sagebrush, allowing native grasses, forbs and other herbaceous vegetation to thrive. The resulting ground cover helps stabilize soils, reduce erosion and strengthen wildlife habitat, rangeland conditions and watershed health. 

These thinning treatments also enhance ecosystem resilience and improve wildfire preparedness by reducing woody plant density, lowering the potential for rapid fire growth, re-introducing the possibility for prescribed fires and giving fire managers more flexibility when responding to wildfires.

During the treatment, a low‑flying aircraft will apply Tebuthiuron pellets—a soil‑activated herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis—directly onto dense brush. Because the product is delivered in pellet form, it remains within the treatment area and has minimal impact on desirable grasses and forbs. Once dissolved by precipitation, the pellets are absorbed into the soil to a depth of about two feet and taken up by the target plants’ root systems, gradually reducing sagebrush density. To protect sensitive areas, pellets will not be applied near waterways.

Tebuthiuron has been used since the 1980s to manage sagebrush and juniper trees, with well‑documented effectiveness. The BLM Taos Field Office conducted vegetation studies on past Tebuthiuron treatments and found an average of 75% less bare ground and 120% more perennial grass cover compared to untreated plots. BLM’s goal is to reduce, not eradicate, these woody species; supporting healthier plant communities and more resilient landscapes overall.

All treated areas will remain open to the public, but the BLM requests that visitors give space to staff, aircraft and other equipment required for the treatment. Recreational drone use within the treatment area will be temporarily prohibited during the treatment. Signs announcing the treatment will be posted at nearby informational kiosks. 

For more information, please contact BLM Taos Natural Resource Specialist Kyle Ott at 575-377-5656 or Wildland Fire Service Fire Planner Marinha Santos at 575-751-4742.