Tackling the Toughest First

While the work of removing tamarisk in the City of Ivins is laborious—time-consuming and physically demanding—that just makes success all the sweeter. Thus, Desert Preservation Initiative members and volunteers celebrate the completion of Phase I of the Wisteria Project, identified as an area of key concern in battling the destructive effects of the invasive tamarisk tree.

The Wisteria Way wash, south of the Labyrinth in the community of Kayenta, is a very large old infestation “considerably closer than most tamarisk patches in the community,” says volunteer Aaron Martin. “I’d hate to imagine the end result if a wildfire had taken root in that mass of tamarisk given its density, fuel abundance, and close proximity to homes.” Martin, who expects construction on his Kayenta home to be finished shortly, got involved after reading about the fire danger posed by tamarisk.

Between November and February, some 18 volunteers invested 329 hours in the project. The result in the Wisteria Way area was simply “transformative, amazing, incredible,” says DPI President Chuck Warren, searching for the best words to describe removing some of the largest diameter trees DPI has encountered–up to 2 feet in diameter–and as close as 35 feet to the some of the homes there.

Cutting the thick growth, chipping the smaller debris, and hauling the larger debris off-site created a whole new vista for homeowners in the area, opening up views of the wash and of Red Mountain. The area “has park like potential,” says DPI board member Carole Richard. “We also discovered years old human recreational activity.

Because the tamarisk was so dense, removing it left two large barren areas where replanting will most likely be necessary to supplement any natural emergence of native plants in soil which certainly has seen increased saline levels. However, native plants and trees on the edges have been saved, including numerous mesquite trees, and now they will survive for the long term.