Geiling, N. (2023, June 10). How We Created a Monster in the American Southwest. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2023 from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-we-created-monster-american-southwest-180956878/
The plant tamarisk, or salt cedar, was originally brought from Europe to help control erosion. It is disliked by most farmers and conservationists who believe that the main issue of salt cedar is its water consumption. Salt cedar sucks up so much water that it can turn vital desert rivers into salty dry basins. On top of that, it is extremely difficult to remove once it has grown. If you burn it, it will come back, it is very difficult to rip out, and it’s very resistant to herbicides. Halfway down the article, however, it states a different expert’s opinion. He believes that the salt cedar has only spread because dams and other manmade causes have led to the soil becoming saltier and moving the water table deeper, which has allowed the salt cedar to thrive. He also argues that salt isn’t as prevalent or harmful as other people believe. Additionally complicating this debate, was the fact that after salt cedar was removed from a riverbed in 2004, there was a flood.
This article is related to environmental science because salt cedar has an impact on factors that can vastly change an environment which could have larger consequences. It also focuses on broader implications of human activity and how we affect the environment. There are multiple different voices with differing opinions on salt cedars. This helps give me an equal understanding when talking about salt cedar, but it also leads to confusion when needing to have a concrete understanding of the plant and its effects on the environment. The article’s exploration of the ecological and environmental effects caused by human action aligns with the concern of environmental science research, studying interactions in an environment and conservation methods.
Finn- This article really captures some of the nuances so common with env. issues, and your follow up paragraph shows you get that. Invasive species can be so hard to manage… and you can imagine how frustrating it can be when they were introduced on purpose. Did the article say anything about success with trying to deal with the salt cedar? As things dry up, this will become more and more pressing. Whether it’s the salt cedar or dams affecting the water salinity, people are the culprit.
Hi Mr. Powell,
There have been attempts to remove the salt cedar, however, based on the impression that the article gives, any attempts have been unsuccessful. One way that people have attempted to get rid of the salt cedar was to introduce yet another non-native species (WTH) that was termed a bio-beetle that devours salt cedar. As you probably already guessed, this had an effect on more than just the salt cedar. Additionally complicating this mess is the fact that because salt cedar has cemented itself in any ecosystem that it is present in, other animals have adapted to its presence, such as an endangered bird called the Southwestern Willow flycatcher, which now heavily depends on the salt cedar as it’s main habitat. Last but not least, human-made dams have been blocking annual floods that the native species of trees depend on to spread their seeds, the salt cedar however, produces seeds all year long which gives it such an advantage in spreading that it is extremely hard to stop its spread.