Saltcedar was planted across the West for shade and windbreaks; from 10,000 acres in 1920, the plant spread to over 1.2 million acres by the mid-1960s

India, Oct. 19 -- A shrub planted to shade poultry and block the wind has spread across floodplains in the American West. According to the U.S. Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System review of Tamarix, saltcedar was recommended in the early 1900s. Suggested for ornamental use, windbreaks, fuel, and shade for poultry and small stock, it ended up expanding from an estimated 10,000 acres in 1920 to more than 1.2 million acres by the mid-1960s.

Saltcedar is also known as tamarisk. In the early 1900s, these goals were practical. People wanted something nice to look at. They needed a plant that could provide shade, serve as a windbreak, and be used as fuel. The same review also indicates that three deciduous tamarisk species reached ...