Long-term impact of de-icing salts on tree health in the Lake Tahoe Basin: Environmental influences and interactions with insects and diseases

Foliar Damage, Ion Content, and Mortality Rate of Five Common Roadside Tree Species Treated with Soil Applications of Magnesium Chloride

“…Conifers along MgCl 2 -treated roads exhibited foliar damage at lower tissue concentrations (2,000-4,000-ppm in roadside lodgepole pine) and rarely did concentrations exceed 10,000-ppm presumably because these Colorado roadside trees may be mildly stressed by other abiotic factors such as drought. Conifer plots along a NaCl-treated highway in California and Nevada with some tree crown damage had a mean of 4,019-ppm foliar chloride (Munck et al 2010). The age and size of field-sampled roadside trees were very different than in this study; trees in the shadehouse study were less than 10-years-old while roadside trees are generally older and have larger crowns.…”

“…The water absorptive qualities of MgCl 2 make it an ideal product to reduce maintenance costs of non-paved roads; salt compounds reduce erosion and stabilize the road base by resisting evaporation, coating and binding soil particles together, and reducing friction and particle space (Addo et al 2004). MgCl 2 , along with sodium chloride (NaCl), is also commonly used for snow and ice control throughout North America and Europe (Hofstra and Hall 1971;Hall et al 1973;Czerniawska-Kusza et al 2004;Addo et al 2004;Trahan and Peterson 2007;Munck et al 2010). The combination of arid summer weather, unpredictable winter snowfall, and high rates of traffic have made MgCl 2 dust suppression and deicing treatments increasingly necessary on many city streets, rural roads, and highways.…”

“…Numerous studies have implicated NaCl deicing agents in roadside tree mortality (Westing 1969;Hofstra and Hall 1971;Hall et al 1972 and1973;Hofstra et al 1979;Dobson 1991;Kayama et al 2003;Czerniawska-Kusza et al 2004;Munck et al 2010). More recently, chloride has been related to foliar damage in MgCl 2 field studies (Trahan and Peterson 2007;Goodrich et al 2009).…”

Impacts of Road Salt Runoff on Water Quality of the Chicago, Illinois, Region

“…The increase in Cl 2 concentrations has killed off native vegetation and allowed invasive salt-tolerant species to thrive in some environments (e.g., Panno et al, 1999). Trees and other land vegetation near roads also can be seriously damaged by salt spray and road salt runoff (Dirr, 1976;Munck et al, 2010).…”

Review on the Toxicological Effects of Chloride-Based Deicers: Impacted Environments and Assessment Methods

“…It was reported that road salt impaired at least 15% of roadside trees in the Lake Tahoe Basin every year (Munck et al, 2010), and it showed to be the second only to the damage from insects (Eppard et al, 1992). These potential adverse effects of high concentrations of Na + and Cl − could be reflected through one or some of visual symptoms, including burning of leaves and needle, foliage disfigurement, top and branch dieback, necrosis of leaves and tissue, as well as poor growth (Cekstere et al, 2010).…”