ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — Fall brings cooler weather and warmer colors. It can also bring excessive sneezing, itchy eyes, and other less-than-pleasant allergy symptoms. And here in Albuquerque, there’s a new allergen in town that could be the source of some residents’ suffering.
“People may have noticed that this fall, in particular, their allergies were a bit worse… That could be due to the presence of Lacebark Elm,” City of Albuquerque Senior Environmental Health Scientist Dr. Patrick Hudson said. “I’ve noticed their presence in more recent landscape architectural projects.” Some of those projects include the perimeter of Johnson Field, street plantings lining Lead and Coal, and North Domingo Baca Park.
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Lacebark Elm differs from Siberian Elm, which is found in many of the city’s green spaces as a way to provide shade from the heat. Siberians produce a lot of pollen that people are commonly allergic to. According to Dr. Hudson, the same applies to Lacebark Elms…