Burning of salt cedar continues

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004 | 9:58 a.m.

A foreign tree, the salt cedar, has invaded the Las Vegas Wash from one end of its 15-mile length to the other and it is being burned as fast as it is removed.

Also known as the tamarisk, salt cedars were planted to strengthen the banks of streams and provide shade for early settlers in the hot desert surroundings.

Experts say that tamarisks increase the salt content of water in areas that surround them, threatening other trees such as cottonwoods.

Clark County Parks and Community Services with the Nevada Division of Forestry and the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee plan to burn more of the invasive tamarisks Friday near the Bostick Weir in the Las Vegas Wash.

The Las Vegas Wash is a natural channel that runs across the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. The wash carries urban runoff, floodwaters and groundwater from the Las Vegas Valley. Eventually the water flows into Lake Mead.

Beginning at 9 a.m., if weather permits, state forestry crews will ignite more than eight acres of tamarisks.

Elizabeth Bickmore with the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee said clearing the tamarisks from the wash is essential.