Native Plant Salvaging and Reuse in Southwestern Deserts - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 406

From the perspective of saving the plants, it is not the cost of the process that presents
a challenge. Timing is generally the problem. Construction schedules are driven by very
weighty financial considerations such as minimizing interest costs, propitious grand
opening dates, and overall economic cycles. Layering the governmental approval maze
over the financial realities makes it very difficult to plan ahead in a way that would benefit
the native plants.
The time window between project approval and the construction start is usually very
limited. Rushing the tree salvage effort inevitably decreases the survival rate whereas
having more time allows the plants to better adapt to each step of the process. With the
luxury of time, more steps could be taken to prepare the trees before boxing starts. Well-
intentioned efforts to start the tree salvage early can result in severe financial penalties.
In one instance recently, a builder was fined about $25,000 for allowing the native plant
salvage to start before a building permit was finalized. The risk is that if the project hits a
snag and is not approved, the trees may be dug unnecessarily.
Another facet of this challenge is the time of year at which development starts.
Depending on species, there is a significantly lower success rate for tree salvage done
during the months October through March. Survival can drop from more than 90%
down to 60% or worse. While it may be unrealistic to expect development to stop for
a 5 month period, there may be some solutions if we took a global approach to saving
native plants. As the trend is toward more long-range regional planning, perhaps areas
designated for development could be addressed, relative to salvaging strategies, during
the summer even if the permit process has not been completed. If the anticipated project
is delayed or not approved, the worst-case scenario would involve using the trees on
another current project. When the delayed project needs trees, they could be supplied
from another project.
23.3.3 Horticultural Practices
While individual historic specimen trees have been moved in other areas of the United
States for many years, the concept of saving all salvageable materials in the path of
development is in its infancy. The needs of desert trees, particularly large, salvaged desert
trees are unique. Our body of knowledge related to desert tree salvage is relatively small;
much is to be learned about how the stress factors related to transplanting a mature tree
affect its physiology. Of particular interest is how the effects vary based on seasonal
changes in daylight hours, angle of the sun, and temperature extremes. Most importantly,
what can be done to ameliorate the stress and improve survival rates?
Part of the challenge to improve horticultural practices is economic. Native plant salvage
has become an extremely competitive business with the majority of participants being
landscape contractors. Setting aside research and development time and money is difficult
because margins are narrow even in good economic times. The narrow time window for
salvaging on a site previously discussed makes it even tougher to conduct meaningful and
controlled experiments.
When a successfully boxed tree is replanted, follow up and maintenance procedures are
more critical than with a nursery grown plant. The average customer has the misconception
that if native trees can survive without supplemental water in their native habitat they
should be able to survive in a landscape. The challenge is to get just the right amount
of water to a root system that has been significantly cut back without overwatering it.
We recommend that salvaged trees receive supplemental water for at least 2-3 years if not
indefinitely. But too much water can be detrimental, especially in heavy soil.