UCweeds Success Stories - Tamarisk Bash & Whack - April 2005

There was some serious weed-whacking going on Saturday near the shore of Utah Lake.
Some 50 people hacked away at bunches of non-native plants that consume so much water that, if left unchecked, could suck dry an aquifer and effectively eliminate native cottonwood and willow trees.

The tamarisk plants are now an inch in diameter but would grow into massive plants several feet thick if allowed to mature, according to state wildlife officials. Tamarisk, a plant native to Asia, makes poor habitat for wildlife, said David Lee of the state Division of Wildlife. Tamarisk plants were brought to the western United States to control erosion and serve as windbreaks, but they spread rapidly and populate more than 1 million acres, Lee said. more

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