Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-20T18:54:48.945Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Restoration of Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.)-Infested Floodplains on the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

John P. Taylor  and
Kirk C. McDaniel
John P. Taylor
Affiliation:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1246, Socorro, NM 87801
Kirk C. McDaniel
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Range Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Vegetation development bordering the Middle Rio Grande, as with most major southwestern U.S. tributaries, has historically undergone rapid and dynamic change. The introduction of saltcedar (or Tamarisk, genus Tamarix) and other exotic species into this environment within the 20th century has contributed to this process. These plants are now an integral component of the riparian vegetation mix. Manpower, logistics, and financial resources constrain the degree to which a desired riparian habitat can be restored from saltcedar thickets on the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, NM. Saltcedar clearing is accomplished using a combination of herbicide, burning, and mechanical control techniques costing from $750 to $1,300/ha. Soil salinity and depth to water are the principal physical features limiting revegetation efforts. Cottonwood and black willow plantings and natural regeneration after timed irrigations have produced diverse habitats that support a wide array of faunal species in areas previously occupied by homogeneous saltcedar.

Keywords

Saltcedar, Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. #3 TAARAcottonwood, Populus fremontii S. Watsblack willow, Salix nigra Marsh. # SAXNIPhreatophyte controlriparian restorationRio GrandewildlifeimazapyrPopulus fremontiiTAARASAXNINWR, National Wildlife Refuge
Type
Symposium
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , June 1998 , pp. 345 - 352
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Anderson, B. W. 1988a. Revegetation of Two 25 Acre Plots on the Kern River Preserve. Sacramento, CA: Nature Conservancy and California Department of Fish and Game. 42 p.Google Scholar
Anderson, B. W. 1988b. Deep tillage aids tree establishment in riparian revegetation projects in arid southwest. Restor. Manage. Notes 6:84–87.Google Scholar
Anderson, B. W. 1989. Research as an integral part of revegetation projects. In Warner, R. E. and Hendrix, K. M., eds. Berkeley, CA: Proceedings of the California Riparian Systems Conference. pp. 413–419.Google Scholar
Anderson, B. W. and Ohmart, R. D. 1982. Revegetation and Wildlife Enhancement Along the Lower Colorado River. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. Contract 7-07-30-V0009. 215 p.Google Scholar
Anderson, B. W. and Ohmart, R. D. 1984. Final Report—Vegetation Management Study for the Enhancement of Wildlife Along the Lower Colorado River. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. Contract 7-07-30-V0009. 529 p.Google Scholar
Anonymous. 1951. Report to Saltcedar Interagency Council Task Force for New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM. 136 p.Google Scholar
Busch, D., Herbranson, L., Johns, E., Pinkney, F., and Sisneros, D. 1992. Vegetation Management Study: Lower Colorado River. Phase I Report to the USDI-U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region. 103 p.Google Scholar
Campbell, H. W. and Christman, S. P. 1982. Field techniques for herpetofaunal community analysis. In Scott, N. J. Jr., ed. Herpetological Communities. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife Research Rep. 13. pp. 193–200.Google Scholar
DeLoach, J. C. 1989. Saltcedar, a Weed of Western North American Riparian Areas: A Review of its Taxonomy, Biology, Harmful and Beneficial Values, and its Potential for Biological Control. Final Report for Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region. Boulder City, NV: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 296 p.Google Scholar
Ellis, L. M. 1995. Bird use of saltcedar and cottonwood vegetation in the Middle Rio Grande valley of New Mexico, U.S.A. J. Arid Environ. 30: 339–349.Google Scholar
Ellis, L. M., Crawford, C. S., and Molles, M. C. 1993. The Effects of Annual Flooding on the Rio Grande Riparian Forests: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico. Progress Report. Albuquerque, NM: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 60 p.Google Scholar
Ellis, L. M., Crawford, C. S., and Molles, M. C. 1994. The Effects of Annual Flooding on the Rio Grande Riparian Forests: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico. Progress Report. Albuquerque, NM: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 91 p.Google Scholar
Emlen, J. T. 1971. Population densitites of birds derived from transect counts. Auk 88:323–342.Google Scholar
Fenchel, G., Oaks, W., and Swenson, E. A. 1987. Selecting Desirable Woody Vegetation for Environmental Mitigation and Controlling Wind Erosion and Undesirable Plants in the Rio Grande and Pecos River Valleys of New Mexico. 5 Year Interim Report (1983–87). Los Lunas, NM: USDASCS-Plant Materials Center. 49 p.Google Scholar
Fenchel, G. A., Dreesen, D., and Fraser, J. 1996. 1996 Interagency Riparian Report. Los Lunas, NM: USDA-NRCS-Plant Materials Center. 42 p.Google Scholar
Franzreb, K. E. 1981. A comparative analysis of territorial mapping and variable-strip transect censusing methods. Stud. Avian Biol. 6:164–169.Google Scholar
Great Western Research, Inc. 1989. Economic Analysis of Harmful and Beneficial Aspects of Saltcedar. Final Report, USDI, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region. Boulder City, NV: U.S. Department of the Interior. 259 p.Google Scholar
Hink, V. C. and Ohmart, R. D. 1984. Middle Rio Grande Biological Survey. Final Report. Albuquerque, NM: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 193 p.Google Scholar
Horton, J. S. 1960. Use of a Root Plow in Clearing Tamarisk Stands. USDA Forest Service Research Note 50. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 6 p.Google Scholar
Hunter, W. C., Ohmart, R. D., and Anderson, B. W. 1988. Use of exotic saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis) by birds in arid riparian systems. Condor 90:113–123.Google Scholar
Neill, W. M. 1988. Control of Tamarisk at Desert Springs. Los Angeles, CA: Desert Protective Council. 6 p.Google Scholar
Ohmart, R. D., Anderson, B. W., and Hunter, W. C. 1988. The Ecology of the Lower Colorado River from Davis Dam to the Mexico-United States International Boundary: A Community Profile. USDI-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Rep. 85(7.19). 296 p.Google Scholar
Raitt, R. J. and Delasantro, M. C. 1980. Avifauna Census, Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs, New Mexico. Final Report to the USDI-U.S. Water and Power Resources Services, Rio Grande Project. Contract 9-07-54-V0507. 226 p.Google Scholar
Ralph, C. J., Geupel, G. R., Pyle, P., Martin, T. E., and DeSante, D. F. 1993. Handbook of Field Methods for Monitoring Landbirds. General Technical Rep. PSW-GTR-144. Albany, CA. 41 p.Google Scholar
Reynolds, R. T., Scott, J. M., and Nussbaum, R. A. 1980. A variable circular-plot method for estimating bird numbers. Condor 82:309–313.Google Scholar
Sedgwick, D. and Knopf, F. 1986. Cavity-nesting birds and the cavity-tree resource in plains Cottonwood bottomlands. J. Wildl. Manage. 50:247–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuart, J. N. and Farley, G. H. 1994. Use of Riparian Revegetation Sites by Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Final Report. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 58 p.Google Scholar
Stuart, J. N., Scott, N. J. Jr., and Farley, G. H. 1992. Use of Riparian Revegetation Sites Along the Rio Grande by Terrestrial Vertebrates. Report. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 85 p.Google Scholar
Stuart, J. N., Scott, N. J. Jr., and Farley, G. H. 1993. Use of Riparian Revegetation Sites by Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Report. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 173 p.Google Scholar
Swenson, E. A. and Mullins, C. L. 1985. Revegetating riparian trees in southwestern floodplains. In Johnson, R. R., Ziebell, C. D., Patton, D. R., Ffolliott, P.F., and Hamre, R. H., eds. Riparian Ecosystems and Their Management: Reconciling Conflicting Uses. U.S. Forest Service, General Technical Rep. RM-120. 523 p.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. P. 1987. Imazapyr (arsenal) use and performance on saltcedar (Tamarix pentandra), willow (Salix and Baccharis spp.) and Phragmites (Phragmites communis) at the Bosque del Apache NWR. Albuquerque. NM: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 15 p.Google Scholar
Thompson, B. C., Leal, D. A., and Myer, R. A. 1994. Bird Community Composition and Habitat Importance in the Rio Grande System of New Mexico with Emphasis on Neotropical Migrant Birds. USFWS and NBS Cooperative Agreement 14-16-0009-1592, No. 11. 151 p.Google Scholar
Warren, D. K. and Turner, R. M. 1975. Saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis) seed production, seedling establishment, and response to inundation. J. Ariz. Acad. Sci. 10:135–144.Google Scholar
Wiedemann, H. T. and Cross, B. T. 1978. Water inundation for control of saltcedar along the periphery of lakes. In Truelove, B., ed. Proceedings of the Southern Weed Science Society 31st Annual Meeting. Auburn, AL: Auburn University Printing Service. p. 229.Google Scholar