The worst drought in decades? Seems like we should have heard more about that.
Some in Santa Fe Pine For Lost Symbol, But Others Move On
Drought-Killed Piñon Trees Become Fuel, Mulch, Art; Bash It With a Fence Post
July 30, 2006
SANTA FE, N.M. -- The piñon tree has long been an established part of the Southwest, where the aromatic pine has graced views from the backyard to the back country of public forests. It is the state tree of New Mexico, where towns have lovingly named hospitals, restaurants and streets after the gnarled, dwarfish pines.
The trouble now is that a lot of them are dead.
As many as 80 million piñons died in New Mexico and Arizona between 2001 and 2005 during one of the worst droughts in decades, the U.S. Forest Service estimates. Their skeletons remain along a band about 500 miles long from east to west and 100 miles wide. In many places, more than 90% of the piñons have died.
Ground zero of the destruction is Santa Fe, where an estimated four million of the trees have died. Many residents reacted with alarm as the piñons started dying before their eyes a few years ago, says Shelley Nolde, an urban-wildland specialist for the city. "I had people crying on the phones," she says.
