Federal Officials, Governor Map Assault on Tamarisk: Denver Post

Home Browse Search

WER POST ** 3B Owens wants w urping,' tamarisk gone in 1 TAMARISK from Pagel B play an integral role in Colo- rado's tamarisk research and long -range control efforts if Mc- Innis' Tamarisk Research and Control Act of 2003 passes. Tamarisk was brought to the United States in the 1800s from Eurasian and Middle . Eastern countries as a feathery, pink -flow- ered ornamental and a hardy, deep - rooted plant that could stabi- lize riverbanks. Since then, in addition to using 25 percent more water than most native riverbank species, tama- risk has clogged streams, dried up springs, crowded out native plants, increased soil salinity, hin- dered endangered -fish recovery efforts and added to wildfire dan- ger with its highly flammable leaf litter. Simply cutting down tamarisk won't kill it. The roots quickly send up new shoots. And it can't be confined to specific areas. It produces too many seeds and roots that can stretch up to 50 feet. It is resistant to disease and has no natural enemies, like in- sects, in the United States. The lack of natural enemies ex- plains why the - U:S. Department of Agriculture is experimenting with one Chinese and one Israeli insect that feed on tamarisk. . The Chinese leaf beetle attacks the foliage of tamarisk, and the Israeli mealy bug eats the stems. The USDA has been looking at these bugs for tamarisk control since 1987 and is testing the bee- tles in Utah and in the Arkansas River Valley near Pueblo. The bugs have not turned out to be a silver bullet. They are touchy: They must have the same amount of daylight they get at home or they die. American bird species like them and can gobble thousands in quick order. There is also no guarantee that the bugs won't attack other plants. . Goats have been used in a few limited cases in New Mexico, but the jury is still out on their effec- tiveness. There is no doubt that they will eat the shrubby tama- risk, but it takes three to five years of heavy gnawing by goat herds to weaken and kill tama- risk. In New Mexico, aerial spraying of defoliants has been used along the Pecos River, but that method also has drawbacks. The chemi- cals destroy all vegetation in the spray areas, and the bare skele- tons of the tamarisk must be left in place 'for several years to make sure the roots of the plants are dead. At the Bosque del Apache Wild- life Refuge in New Mexico, at- tempts have been made to give native species like cottonwood and willow a leg up on tamarisk by raising and lowering water lev- els to mimic natural flooding dur- ing key times when cottonwood seeds will take root in riverbank mud. That method has been suc- cessful in bringing cottonwoods ,• r back in small areas. The most successful eradica- tion effort and the one,most wide- ly used in Western states at this Point involves chain- sawing or 1;3 bulldozing tamarisk and immedi- ately painting an herbicide on the stumps. This labor - intensive r method is expensive — upwards of $3,000 an acre. The California Department of Forestry has used , crews of prison inmates to reduce costs. In Colorado, the National Park ' Service has used this technique for several years at the Colorado National Monument. The Nature ' !, Conservancy has carried out a successful "cut stump" project, as this method is called, along the San Miguel River near Telluride. Tim Carlson, director of the Grand Junction -based Tamarisk . w I Coalition, said that killing tama- °" risk is only a first step. Without restoration of -native species, tam- arisk will come back. That's why Owens' executive or- der to rid the state of tamarisk within a decade is regarded as a beginning.. Keeping tamarisk r from reappearing will be a much ,a longer project, Carlson said. r "We really understand the sci- l ence of tamarisk pretty well," he said. "The real important thing is how to develop a long -term ap- proach and decide who should be ", .responsible for this." Water– hogging Weed gets Pete Domenici, R -N.M., plans to reintro- . duce a bill this year that could make more 10 -year death sentence than $10 million available annually for tamarisk control in Colorado and five oth- By Nancy Lofholm er Southwestern states. That's the region where tamarisk has Denver Post Western Slope Bureau covered more than 1.5 million acres and GRAND JUNCTION — An act of Con- sucks up enough' water every year to sup - gress and an executive order from Gov. ply 20 million people. Bill Owens will join forces with bugs, The money and high - powered attention goats, chain saws, bulldozers, chemicals focused on tamarisk now in a time of and prison gangs in waging what is expect- drought will give a boost to a smorgas- ed to be a long war on the West's most bord of long -term, low -tech tamarisk- fight- noxious weed. ing efforts that have had spotty success at Owens has issued an order directing the the ground level. Associated Press file photo Department of Natural Resources to coor- "A lot of things have been tried, and at Tamarisk plants, shown above in dinate efforts to rid Colorado of the least some of them are known to be effec- southern Utah, were imported non - native tamarisk plant within a de- tive if done right," said Dr. Russ Walker, a into the U.S. in the 1800s as cade. Rep. Scott McInnis, R- Colo., is ask- professor at Mesa State College. He will feathery ornamentals, but they ing Congress for $1 million to fund crowded out native species. long -range eradication research, and Sen. Please see TAMARISK on 313 WER POST ** 3B Owens wants w urping,' tamarisk gone in 1 TAMARISK from Pagel B play an integral role in Colo- rado's tamarisk research and long -range control efforts if Mc- Innis' Tamarisk Research and Control Act of 2003 passes. Tamarisk was brought to the United States in the 1800s from Eurasian and Middle . Eastern countries as a feathery, pink -flow- ered ornamental and a hardy, deep - rooted plant that could stabi- lize riverbanks. Since then, in addition to using 25 percent more water than most native riverbank species, tama- risk has clogged streams, dried up springs, crowded out native plants, increased soil salinity, hin- dered endangered -fish recovery efforts and added to wildfire dan- ger with its highly flammable leaf litter. Simply cutting down tamarisk won't kill it. The roots quickly send up new shoots. And it can't be confined to specific areas. It produces too many seeds and roots that can stretch up to 50 feet. It is resistant to disease and has no natural enemies, like in- sects, in the United States. The lack of natural enemies ex- plains why the - U:S. Department of Agriculture is experimenting with one Chinese and one Israeli insect that feed on tamarisk. . The Chinese leaf beetle attacks the foliage of tamarisk, and the Israeli mealy bug eats the stems. The USDA has been looking at these bugs for tamarisk control since 1987 and is testing the bee- tles in Utah and in the Arkansas River Valley near Pueblo. The bugs have not turned out to be a silver bullet. They are touchy: They must have the same amount of daylight they get at home or they die. American bird species like them and can gobble thousands in quick order. There is also no guarantee that the bugs won't attack other plants. . Goats have been used in a few limited cases in New Mexico, but the jury is still out on their effec- tiveness. There is no doubt that they will eat the shrubby tama- risk, but it takes three to five years of heavy gnawing by goat herds to weaken and kill tama- risk. In New Mexico, aerial spraying of defoliants has been used along the Pecos River, but that method also has drawbacks. The chemi- cals destroy all vegetation in the spray areas, and the bare skele- tons of the tamarisk must be left in place 'for several years to make sure the roots of the plants are dead. At the Bosque del Apache Wild- life Refuge in New Mexico, at- tempts have been made to give native species like cottonwood and willow a leg up on tamarisk by raising and lowering water lev- els to mimic natural flooding dur- ing key times when cottonwood seeds will take root in riverbank mud. That method has been suc- cessful in bringing cottonwoods ,• r back in small areas. The most successful eradica- tion effort and the one,most wide- ly used in Western states at this Point involves chain- sawing or 1;3 bulldozing tamarisk and immedi- ately painting an herbicide on the stumps. This labor - intensive r method is expensive — upwards of $3,000 an acre. The California Department of Forestry has used , crews of prison inmates to reduce costs. In Colorado, the National Park ' Service has used this technique for several years at the Colorado National Monument. The Nature ' !, Conservancy has carried out a successful "cut stump" project, as this method is called, along the San Miguel River near Telluride. Tim Carlson, director of the Grand Junction -based Tamarisk . w I Coalition, said that killing tama- °" risk is only a first step. Without restoration of -native species, tam- arisk will come back. That's why Owens' executive or- der to rid the state of tamarisk within a decade is regarded as a beginning.. Keeping tamarisk r from reappearing will be a much ,a longer project, Carlson said. r "We really understand the sci- l ence of tamarisk pretty well," he said. "The real important thing is how to develop a long -term ap- proach and decide who should be ", .responsible for this."