VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Tamarix ramosissima | Saltcedar 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Saltcedar is being considered as a source of pulpwood [11].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Saltcedar communities are generally less valuable to wildlife than are
native riparian plant communities [23,27,48].  When saltcedar was
cleared from 49 acres (20 ha) along the lower Colorado River and
replaced with native vegetation, avian density and diversity increased.
Saltcedar communities have smaller numbers of insects during most
seasons than native riparian communities [23].  Most avian frugivores
and insectivores tend to avoid these communities [4].
 
Saltcedar provides nesting sites for white-winged dove, mourning dove,
Bell's vireo, and black-throated sparrow [5,23,27,48].  Willow
flycatcher populations have shown a significant increase over the last 6
years that is strongly correlated with its preference for saltcedar as
nesting habitat [5].  Saltcedar is an important pollen source for
European honeybees [22,26,27,41].  Black-tailed jackrabbit use saltcedar
as a major food source [48].  Beaver will eat young saltcedar shoots
[15].


PALATABILITY : 
Saltcedar is relatively unpalatable to most classes of livestock and
wildlife.  The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
saltcedar in three western states is rated as follows [10]:

                        CO      UT      WY

Cattle                  Poor    Poor    Fair
Sheep                   Poor    Fair    Fair
Horses                  Poor    Poor    Poor
Pronghorn               ----    ----    Poor
Elk                     ----    Poor    Poor
Mule deer               ----    Fair    Poor
White-tailed deer       ----    ----    Poor
Small mammals           ----    Fair    ----
Small nongame birds     ----    Fair    ----
Upland game birds       ----    Poor    Poor
Waterfowl               ----    Poor    Poor


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Saltcedar has been rated as poor in energy and protein value [10].  The
seeds contain no digestible protein [15].  


COVER VALUE : 
Saltcedar provides cover for cattle and wildlife species [10,22].  The
degree to which saltcedar provides environmental protection during one
or more seasons for wildlife species is rated as follows [10]:

                         CO      UT      WY

Elk                     ----    Good    Poor
Mule deer               ----    Good    Fair
White-tailed deer       ----    ----    Fair
Small mammals           ----    Good    Good
Small nongame birds     Good    Good    Good
Upland game birds       Good    Good    Good
Waterfowl               ----    Good    Fair


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Saltcedar has been planted for erosion control and windbreaks
[32,38,40].  It is one of few species that can colonize and stablize
extremely saline soils [4].  It is easily propagated from cuttings,
which need only be placed in the ground.  Where saltcedar is used for
windbreaks, cuttings longer than 6 inches (15 cm) should be used to give
the plants more of a start [32].  Because saltcedar is very prolific and
hard to control it is not recommended for rehabilitation of disturbed
sites unless carefully monitored [33].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Because it has feathery foliage and forms dense clusters of flowers,
saltcedar was originally introduced in the early 1800's for use as an
ornamental [8,33,40].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Saltcedar has become a serious weed species in the Southwest during the
past half-century [8,31].  In some disturbed areas, native riparian
vegetation has been completely replaced by pure stands of saltcedar
[4,21].

Flooding damage:  Dense stands of saltcedar have caused flood damage by
impeding flow at high water stages [31].

Water loss:  Saltcedar has a very high leaf area index and can dry up
wetlands, lower water tables, and reduce water yield of riparian areas
[15,28,40,41,52].  Use of groundwater is greatest where the height and
density of saltcedar are at a maximum, the water table is shallow, and
the climate is hot and dry.  Studies have shown that the rate of water
use by saltcedar under favorable conditions is more than 9
acre-feet/acre/year (11,101 m cubed/ 0.4 ha/year) in Arizona [40].
Along the Colorado River it has been estimated that up to 568,000 acre
feet of water are lost per year to channel vegetation, with saltcedar
being a major component [4].

Restructuring river channels:  Saltcedar's dense roots and rhizomes
spread out and slow river flow, which increases deposition.  When this
occurs a number of times at high water, sediments build along the
riverbank.  As the river recedes, saltcedar colonizes farther out into
the floodplain, widing the riparian zone.  This process can severly
reduce stream flow [4] or rechannel it [52].

Control/herbicides:  Saltcedar is difficult or impossible to kill by
burning, drought, freezing, hypersalinity, prolonged submersion, or
repeated cutting at ground level [34].  However, saltcedar can be
controlled using a combination of methods [23,34].

Some herbicides used for saltcedar control are 2,4-D, dicamba, Tordon,
Triclopyr ester, and Arsenal [23,25,34].  The herbicide Silvex has been
used successfully to control saltcedar, but several restrictions have
been placed on its use.  The U.S. Department of Interior has totally
prohibited its use on Interior lands [20].

For control using cut-stump/herbicide treatments the following steps
should be followed:  Cuts should be made within 2 inches (5 cm) of the
ground surface; the herbicide should be applied to cut stumps within
several minutes after cutting; the entire circumference of the cambium
layer should be cut and treated; sprouting foliage should be cut and
treated within a year after the initial treatment [34].

Biological control:  In its native range, 115 insect species and four
mites are known to attack saltcedar.  A few may be candidates for
biological control [15].

Related categories for Species: Tamarix ramosissima | Saltcedar