thanks,

Thanks

Sorry to be slow in responding - I just recieved this information from Dr. Tom Dudley who has been in the field for several days monitoring saltcedar sites.

Here is his response:

"Tamarix is grazed to some extent, but is clearly a poor quality forage and is not chosen if other more suitable forage is available. It has a high tannin content, so digestion is a problem since tannins inhibit digestion in both vertebrates and arthropods - actually harvested in Africa for tannin production for tanning leather. Goats can handle such plant chemistry better than sheep, apparently. Camels graze on it, but again not in preference to other stuff, and there are reports of poor growth. If goats have nothing else they will certainly feed on it, but they and other livestock will eat the cottonwoods and willows first; same with beavers, which use Populus and Salix in very clear preference to Tamarix. So, basically it may be worth a try (if willows and cottonwoods are absent)."

You may contact Dr. Tom Dudley at tdudley@cabnr.unr.edu if you have additional questions.

David Spencer