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Mother Nature Thwarts Pollen Control Policy04-23-10 | News

Mother Nature Thwarts Pollen Control Policy

Junipers are among the tree species banned in Albuquerque because of their high pollen count (Juniperus phoenicea pictured).

The offices of LASN are lined by some 30 tall evergreens. Most people who park in the lot tend to park their cars in the spaces not directly under a tree, as dense, heavy pinecones falling from 80 feet up can dent a car?EUR??,,????'?????<

The other hazard of parking in the lot is that when spring comes and the wind blows, the cars are coated with a fine yellow blanket of pollen.

Pollen, of course, is a good thing in nature, but not such a good thing for people whose noses are sensitive to pollen spoors.

One city has tried to regulate Mother Nature?EUR??,,????'?????<http://legistar.cabq.gov:81/Attachments/1698.doc.

The prohibited species are:

Juniperus?EUR??,,????'?????<

Morus?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ulmus pumila?EUR??,,????'?????<

Populus?EUR??,,????'?????<

These genera of wind-pollinated trees may also be sold and planted in the city, provided they too are labeled as ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Platanus?EUR??,,????'?????<

Fraxinus?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ulmus?EUR??,,????'?????<

Cedar and elm trees were originally banned under the ordinance, but an amendment to the ordinance noted: ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The amended ordinance also removed all species of cypress trees from the prohibited list, but those must also be labeled as ?EUR??,,????'?????<

How has that pollen control policy worked out? According to the Albuquerque Air Quality Division, the two pollen-monitoring stations in the city show no evidence of pollen abatement since the ordinance went into effect. Many of the cottonwoods and other heavy pollen-generating tree species that were in the landscape before the ordinance was in place are of course still standing, which may explain the lack of the desired results.