Salt Cedar News

Nubsnstubs

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This is mostly for @BarryRichardson, but others can appreciate it also.
The reason I decided to post this comment from a politician is, it's been my experience that Salt Cedar does not burn. Maybe the leaves are the issue, but solid stuff mostly chars rather than burn. with the right amount of heat, it will reduce to ashes, but not without some type of stimulator?. ( spell check state it's not a proper word)

"The proliferation of Salt Cedars in the Gila River has turned our oasis in the desert to a wildfire and flood hazard. Meanwhile the Salt Cedars have consumed millions of acre feet of water and crowded out native vegetation to the point where large sections of the Gila River are now monocultures that can't support native wildlife. We are very grateful to Senator Sinema for introducing the Drought Relief Through Innovative Projects (DRIP) Act and its inclusion in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA). This legislation will serve Buckeye, the state of Arizona and the Southwest United States well. Thank you Senator Sinema for your time and effort!" - Eric Orsborn, City of Buckeye Mayor

So Barry, what do you think of this. Are you gonna try to get any?

Salt Cedar has some interesting wood and is easy to turn. ............. Jerry (in Tucson)
 
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vegas urban lumber

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logs when green are not as likely to burn rapidly, but the detritus that builds up around these trees and the limbs and foliage are extremely flammable. salt cedar is mostly responsible for our brush fire in las vegas area. when dry, the logs burn well, and somewhat hot like most hardwood firewood

KIMG2962.JPG
 

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When were Salt Cedars introduced in the Gila River area? I've not heard of this species. If it doesn't burn, then I guess the only concern would be water depletion, but I can't grasp this either. Chuck
 

vegas urban lumber

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salt cedars, use an enormous amount of ground water, their needles, shed and contain such a high salt content that they kill off all the surrounding vegetation
 

vegas urban lumber

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can't really kill them either, unless the whole root and stump is removed. the burnt area pictured above was cleared this summer, no rain in 200 plus days in las vegas and the stumps already have over 2 foot of fresh regrowth on them. a friend of mine was recently telling me about the UNLV research on eradication, that detailed exposed roots must be sprayed within 45 seconds of exposure for the poison that kills the plants to have any effect. after that the root surface has cured enough that the poison will not enter the plants system
 
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Nubsnstubs

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logs when green are not as likely to burn rapidly, but the detritus that builds up around these trees and the limbs and foliage are extremely flammable. salt cedar is mostly responsible for our brush fire in las vegas area. when dry, the logs burn well, and somewhat hot like most hardwood firewood

View attachment 198536
Trev, when I first got my woodburning stove, I put a log about a foot diameter in it with mesquite and other stuff. It took about 2 days for it to burn, and it never got warm. I got the log from a large pile in the desert where someone had dumped it. I never went back for anymore for firewood. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)
 

vegas urban lumber

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Trev, when I first got my woodburning stove, I put a log about a foot diameter in it with mesquite and other stuff. It took about 2 days for it to burn, and it never got warm. I got the log from a large pile in the desert where someone had dumped it. I never went back for anymore for firewood. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)
as relatively green i totally agree, water content is very high. i burned some dry in a campfire recently with decent results
 

vegas urban lumber

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Trev, when I first got my woodburning stove, I put a log about a foot diameter in it with mesquite and other stuff. It took about 2 days for it to burn, and it never got warm. I got the log from a large pile in the desert where someone had dumped it. I never went back for anymore for firewood. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)
i would agree that salt cedar is a very poor choice for firewood. the mess around trees/brush is nearly impenetrable. but it does grow very rapidly and there is a lot of it out there to be had. best to field burn the detritus and then harvest the logs while killing or removing the stumps with a bulldozer. basically another chunk of tax payer dollars spent on a government program to restore ecosystems
 

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When were Salt Cedars introduced in the Gila River area? I've not heard of this species. If it doesn't burn, then I guess the only concern would be water depletion, but I can't grasp this either. Chuck
Chuck, Salt Cedars are also Tamarisk trees. I don't know their origin, but I believe they were introduced as wind breaks for fields. Just like the Eucalyptus trees in California when they discovered the wood produced was useless for anything structural.

When you live in the desert, you do get a good understanding about Water Depletion. Right after the Civil War, a bunch of Union Soldier Engineers came into Tucson. I guess windmills were just invented, so these engineers were going to show the local inhabitants how to survive when the normally wet Santa Cruz River would dry up for a few months. All these people lived right on the eastern bank of the river. Today, the windmills are gone, but some of the people living there today can trace their history back to further than the Civil War and those properties. Anyway, all those surrounding properties a short ways from the river that had wells started to experience dry wells. What happened and is still happening is the windmills were pumping plenty of water for the inhabitants and for the crops that were grown in the area started lowering the water tables. In some places today, in certain areas, water can be had at 50 feet, and in others, you have to drill 3000 feet to get water.

I don't know how much water it takes to keep a Salt Cedar tree alive, but when I worked at the Petrified Forest, along the only road in the Park was one lone Cottonwood tree near a depression I suppose was fed by a spring. I was told that that tree during the summer would consume about 500 gallons of water daily. Since it was the only tree there, I guess it was studied quite a bit. Along the Puerco river that flows across the park, there were a few cottonwoods.

Along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson near Eloy and Picacho Peak area, I used to see well heads poking out of the ground about 8-10 above the surface. Taking water out of the ground caused the ground to subside that much. Now we are replenishing the aquifers with water from the Colorado river and a couple of our in state rivers.

I hope there aren't too many inaccuracies in the above. If there are, it's old age and CRS taking over. ............ Jerry (in Tucson)
 
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barry richardson

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Since I live just a couple of miles from the Gila river I can go there any time and cut what I want. They actually encourage it, and organize do-gooder groups to chop it out frequently. It is a losing battle so far. One of the reasons they introduced it back in the day was for erosion control, ironically, it has taken over drainage areas and choked out all other species.... I'd be all over it but I just don't find the wood that interesting, although Trevs burl stuff looks pretty sweet...
 

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Since I live just a couple of miles from the Gila river I can go there any time and cut what I want. They actually encourage it, and organize do-gooder groups to chop it out frequently. It is a losing battle so far. One of the reasons they introduced it back in the day was for erosion control, ironically, it has taken over drainage areas and choked out all other species.... I'd be all over it but I just don't find the wood that interesting, although Trevs burl stuff looks pretty sweet...
Well, if you run across any clean, twist free 3' sections, let me know. Been wanting to try it for bow making after others had success with it.
 

Nubsnstubs

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Well, if you run across any clean, twist free 3' sections, let me know. Been wanting to try it for bow making after others had success with it.
Byron, how old can it be dead?? I have a straight trunk I found in the desert over 15 years ago. It's 24" OD and about 6-7 feet long. I only use it as a bench when flintknapping. I could cut a stave or two for you, or a quartered section. I have tentative plans to get out to Littleton, Colorado mid May. I could bring it out with the Texas Ebony then. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)
 

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Byron, how old can it be dead?? I have a straight trunk I found in the desert over 15 years ago. It's 24" OD and about 6-7 feet long. I only use it as a bench when flintknapping. I could cut a stave or two for you, or a quartered section. I have tentative plans to get out to Littleton, Colorado mid May. I could bring it out with the Texas Ebony then. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)
Oooo, I'm not sure actually because I wouldn't know about the rot resistance of the wood. Maybe you can cut a slice off the end at some point and see how it's doing inside. No rush! Thanks as usual. Looking forward to that ebony!
 

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Oooo, I'm not sure actually because I wouldn't know about the rot resistance of the wood. Maybe you can cut a slice off the end at some point and see how it's doing inside. No rush! Thanks as usual. Looking forward to that ebony!
rot resistance in salt cedar is poor at best, most larger pieces are 30% soft rot pith. i have seen a few larger logs with good thick wood, but beyond the large ray flecks that resemble oak it is not a very sturdy wood
 

Byron Barker

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rot resistance in salt cedar is poor at best, most larger pieces are 30% soft rot pith. i have seen a few larger logs with good thick wood, but beyond the large ray flecks that resemble oak it is not a very sturdy wood
Would definitely pass on the log then. Likely not going to hold up to strain when bent. I appreciate the thought though!
 
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