Native Plant Salvaging and Reuse in Southwestern Deserts - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 399

and Quercus hypoleucoides ), Chihuahua and Apache pines ( Pinus leiophylla and Pinus
engelmannii ), and Arizona walnut ( Juglans major ).
The end product of the salvage process is a tree that exhibits much more character than a
typical nursery-grown plant. For example, salvaged ironwoods ( Olneya tesota ) reflect years
of overcoming the adversities of lightning, dust storms, frost, intense summer heat, and
drought with gnarly trunk formations, twisting branches, and dead wood. These “living
sculptures” became desirable features that were placed at key focal points in upscale
developments. Using native plants soon became an accepted practice for virtually every
type of development.
As a result of this process, increased use of salvaged native trees in high-end projects
created a perception of high value which is consistent with the scarcity of the trees of such
stature as a natural resource. The trend toward using a greater number of desert trees in
place of imported nonnative species gained momentum in the late 1980s with home buyers
and landscape architects using native plants in their landscape designs.
23.2 Salvaging Guidelines
Over the last few decades, experimentation in field techniques involving a variety of
desert species has led to some general salvaging guidelines for the Southwest. In general,
minimizing the stress created when attempting to change the location (that is, the
environmental factors) to which a native plant has been adapting to since germination is
the critical goal. Severing the roots, thereby cutting off a significant portion of the plant's
ability to take up water and nutrients, is the most obvious stress factor. But other factors
may have just as much impact on the potential survival of a salvaged plant. Orientation
to the sun, soil type, drainage conditions, neighboring plants, microclimatic conditions
(temperature, wind, humidity), and even geologic features will all change to some degree
as a result of the transplant. The following sections focus on some factors considered when
salvaging the two most common plant types involved in this practice, cacti and trees.
23.2.1 Cacti Salvaging
Salvaging saguaros and other cacti has become fairly common in the last few decades.*
Transplanting older cacti (generally individuals greater than 6 ft) is considered rather
risky, with some experts questioning the practice and considering it to be an ineffective
practice. 3,4 Before starting the process, plants are tagged, typically on the south side, to
maintain the plant's orientation during transplanting, thereby preventing sunburn to the
epidermis. Garden hose wrapped around saguaros or sections of carpet wrapped with
rope are often used as handles during the move, considering that their enormous weight
can be quite unwieldy during the process.
Cacti are dug out approximately 12-18 in. from the base of the plant and the larger
roots are usually trimmed at approximately 2 ft deep. Wrapping very strong nylon rope
around the roots and affixing the rope ends to the lifting apparatus ensures the spines
are not damaged during the lifting. In some cases, plants may be placed in holding areas
until a site is ready for positioning salvaged individuals. These holding areas typically
contain a soil mix consisting of approximately 50% sand and 50% compost or planting
* http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1376.pdf (accessed December 30, 2009).