Extensive defoliation of tamarisk (orange/brown vegetation throughout mid-ground) along the Virginia River, AZ. 2009.
Beginning in the early twentieth century, non-native trees and shrubs, including tamarisk (also commonly known as saltcedar) and Russian-olive, were introduced to the United States for use as ornamental plants and in erosion-control plantings. These plants spread extensively, becoming the third and fourth most frequently occurring woody riparian plants in the American West.
In the western United States, the majority of riparian restoration projects involve control of these, and other, non-native species. We have researched many aspects of these plants, such as understanding environmental factors required for establishment, growth, and spread, as well as interactions with channel change, riparian water use, and wildlife. Current projects are focused on understanding vegetation recovery following biological control of tamarisk, including detailed studies on the Virgin and Colorado rivers; on the dynamics of riparian vegetation following extensive removal of Russian Olive on the Escalante River; and on understanding the distribution and abundance of Siberian Elm in the Upper Colorado, Platte, and Rio Grande basins. Our work on riparian invasives overlaps with other projects, including Large-scale streamflow experiments, and Science to inform riparian ecosystem restoration.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Riparian Ecology
Below are publications associated with this project.
Tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda spp.) in the Colorado River basin: Synthesis of an expert panel forum
Distribution of invasive and native riparian woody plants across the western USA in relation to climate, river flow, floodplain geometry and patterns of introduction
Riparian restoration in the context of Tamarix control in the western United States: Chapter 23
The influence of chilling requirement on the southern distribution limit of exotic Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) in western North America
Distribution and abundance of saltcedar and Russian olive in the western United States
Saltcedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act Science Assessment
Rethinking avian response to Tamarix on the lower Colorado River: A threshold hypothesis
Altered stream-flow regimes and invasive plant species: The Tamarix case
Control of Tamarix in the western United States: Implications for water salvage, wildlife use, and riparian restoration
Dominance of non-native riparian trees in western USA
Hybridization of Tamarix ramosissima and T. chinensis (saltcedars) with T. aphylla (athel) (tamaricaceae) in the southwestern USA dertermined from DNA sequence data
Biology, ecology and management of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Russian olive) in western North America
Beginning in the early twentieth century, non-native trees and shrubs, including tamarisk (also commonly known as saltcedar) and Russian-olive, were introduced to the United States for use as ornamental plants and in erosion-control plantings. These plants spread extensively, becoming the third and fourth most frequently occurring woody riparian plants in the American West.
In the western United States, the majority of riparian restoration projects involve control of these, and other, non-native species. We have researched many aspects of these plants, such as understanding environmental factors required for establishment, growth, and spread, as well as interactions with channel change, riparian water use, and wildlife. Current projects are focused on understanding vegetation recovery following biological control of tamarisk, including detailed studies on the Virgin and Colorado rivers; on the dynamics of riparian vegetation following extensive removal of Russian Olive on the Escalante River; and on understanding the distribution and abundance of Siberian Elm in the Upper Colorado, Platte, and Rio Grande basins. Our work on riparian invasives overlaps with other projects, including Large-scale streamflow experiments, and Science to inform riparian ecosystem restoration.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Riparian Ecology
Below are publications associated with this project.