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PCA Alien Plant Working Group - Saltcedar (Tamarix aphylla; chinensis; gallica; parviflora; ramosissima) Page 3 of 5 <br />management probably involves a combination of these. Mechanical techniques include hand- <br />pulling, digging, root-cutting, use of weed eaters, axes, machetes, bulldozers, fire and flooding. <br />Removal by hand is generally recommended for small infestations of saplings under 1-inch <br />diameter. Root-cutting and bulldozing may be effective but are costly, labor intensive and may <br />cause extensive damage to soils and lead to resprouting. Fire has been used with some success, <br />but because saltcedars are fire-adapted, they readily resprout after fire. Flooding can be used to <br />control salt cedar if root crowns remain submerged for at least three months. <br />Chemical: For extensive infestations of saltcedar, <br />chemical control has been shown to be the most <br />effective method. Cautious use of herbicides aids <br />in restoration of saltcedar infested sites by <br />allowing repopulation by native plant species. <br />Systemic herbicides (e.g., those that kill the plant <br />from the root up) are recommended for saltcedar <br />management and application methods include <br />foliar sprays, cut stump treatments, basal bark <br />treatments, and aerial sprays. Because tamarisk <br />usually grows in or adjacent to streams, wetlands <br />and other waterways, it is important to use <br />products registered for aquatic application. <br />i Biological: Fifteen insects are being investigated <br />j as potential biological control agents for saltcedar. <br />Two of these, a mealybug (Trabutina mannipara) <br />and a leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongata), have <br />preliminary approval for release. Five others are <br />being tested within the United States and an <br />additional eight species are under study overseas. <br />i Final approval for release of the mealybug and the <br />leaf beetle is pending resolution of concerns regarding their potential impact to the southwestern <br />subspecies of the willow flycatcher (Empidonax trailh extimus), a federally endangered bird. In <br />parts of its range where native willows, its natural nest trees, have been replaced by saltcedar, the <br />willow flycatcher now utilizes it for this purpose. Concern is over the possibility that, due to the <br />http://wwu;.nps.goN,/plants/alien/fact/tama l . htm 6,16/2005