Abstract:We examined the response of first year saltcedar (Tamaria ramosissima) and plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp, monilifera) seedlings to flooding in fall (25 days) and spring (28 days) using potgrown plants (12-18 individuals/26.5-1iter pot). Seedlings were initially counted in all pots prior to fall treatment. Survival was calculated as the proportion of seedlings in each pot still alive following spring treatment. Mean survival rates of seedlings flooded in fall (saitcedar = 0.8%, cottonwood = 20.8%, n = I4 pots) were lower compared to the spring flooding treatment (saltcedar -91.1%, cottonwood -92.2%, n = 13) and control (saltcedar = 93.9%, cottonwood = 98.7%, n = 14). We used multiple response permutation procedures to detect omnibus distributional differences in survival data (total tests = 9) because assumptions of normality and equal variance were not met. Survival distributions differed between saltcedar and cottonwood fall flooding groups (P < 0.0001) and between fall flooding and control groups for both species (P < O.O00l). No differences in survival distributions were detected between species or treatments for the control and spring treatment groups (P > 0.07). Smaller size and consequent lack of energy reserves may account for lower survival of saltcedar compared to cottonwood in the fall treatment and for lower survival of both species in the fall lreatment compared to the spring treatment. Fall flooding for controlling lirsl year saltcedar seedlings is suggested as a potentially useful technique in riparian habitat restoration and management in the southwestern United States.
Establishment of native riparian communities through natural seedfall may be a viable reclamation alternative at some alluvial sand and gravel mines where water level can be controlled in the abandoned pit. We experimented with this approach at a pit in Fort Collins, Colorado, where a drain culvert equipped with a screw gate allows water levels to be manipulated. From 1994 to 1996 we conducted a series of annual drawdowns during the period of natural seedfall of Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera (plains cottonwood), Salix amygdaloides (peachleaf willow), and S. exigua (sandbar willow), thus providing the bare, moist substrate conducive to establishment of these species. Establishment was highly variable from year to year; in the fall following establishment, frequency of occurrence on 0.5-m 2 sample plots ranged from 8.6% to 50.6% for cottonwood, 15.9% to 22.0% for peachleaf willow, and 21.7% to 50.0% for sandbar willow. Mean densities, however, were comparable to those reported for other locations. Concurrent establishment of the undesirable exotic Tamarix ramosissima (saltcedar) was a problem, but we were able to eradicate most saltcedar seedlings by reflooding the lower elevations of the annual drawdown zones each fall. At the end of the 3-year period, at least one of the three native woody species survived on 41.1% of the plots, while saltcedar was present on only 6.1%. In addition to the potential for establishing valuable native habitats, adaptations of the techniques described may require less earth moving than other reclamation approaches.
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