County Weed Superintendent Randy Bartlett sprays a mature saltcedar this week found at the Swinging Bridge Ranch. This marks one of the first mature saltcedar plants that has been found in Chase County. Controlling the noxious weed is critical to prevent its spread. (Courtesy photo)

    By Russ Pankonin
    The Imperial Republican
     Chase County can no longer claim that it's free of saltcedar, the pariah of invasive species in the Republican Basin.
     With the help of County Weed Superintendent Randy Bartlett, landowner John Flood identified a mature saltcedar growing along the Frenchman Creek on the Swinging Bridge Ranch west of Champion.
     Flood said he found an unusual looking tree while out backpack spraying for Canada and musk thistle on the property.
     Flood said he's walked the stream bed many times but has never seen the saltcedar plant before.
     "It was out of place here and I had a strong suspicion that's what it was," he said. A check with the natural resources district office confirmed his suspicion. "It was not close to anything native here," he added.
     Flood immediately contacted Bartlett for his assistance in killing the plant. Bartlett applied herbicide earlier this week and will hit it again this fall.
     Bartlett said he found a small seedling at the light dam last fall but found no other plants in the area.
     He suspected the saltcedar at the Swinging Bridge Ranch was at least several years old.
    Early detection key
     Both Bartlett and Flood said early detection represents the key to controlling the invasive plant that can spread like a wildfire.
     The plant slightly resembles a cedar tree but has a soft-feeling branch that spreads out, compared to a tight-leaved cedar.
     Summer is the best time to identify the plant, which stands out among other vegetation and has white or pinkish flowers.
     The reasons people in the basin are so alarmed at the saltcedar's expansion is that it can spread so quickly and it consumes vast amounts of water from the alluvium.
     According to the University Extension Service, the taproot of a mature saltcedar can grow to depths of 30 feet, sucking water all along the way.
     A mature plant can use up to 200 gallons of water per day. Left unchecked, an acre of saltcedars can consume four acre-feet of water per year.
     Infestations of saltcedar along the Republican continue to be a battle. Part of LB 701 last year set aside funds to control saltcedar in the river's channel and up to 100 feet on each side.
     With saltcedar likely reducing stream flows in the basin, irrigation officials feel the control of the plant will aid Nebraska by creating more stream flow. This is key to helping the state comply with the 2002 Republican River Compact Settlement with Kansas.
    Control not an easy task
     Bartlett said the best way to begin controlling saltcedar is by spraying it with herbicides approved for riparian areas, such as Habitat and Garlon.
     After the tree is sprayed, it should not be disturbed for at least two years.
     The plant should not be uprooted, because it can re-sprout from roots left behind.
     The plant can even sprout from a branch that falls to the ground in a moist area.
     Once established, the plant can spread quickly.
     Neither Bartlett nor Flood know how the seed that started this plant got so far west into the Frenchman.
     They suspect that it may have washed downstream from an earlier flood or a bird might have carried it.
     Bartlett said he did find one small sprout near the light dam last fall, which was his first contact with the plant.
     Bartlett urged landowners to be especially vigilant in watching for saltcedar and asked them to contact him for help in eradicating it.
    Saltcedar declared noxious
     Bartlett said saltcedar has been classified a noxious weed by the state.
     It joins other noxious weeds including musk thistle, Canada thistle, plumeless thistle, spotted knapweed, diffuse knapweed leafy spurge, purple loosestrife and phragmites. Phragmites is another riparian plant that uses lots of water.
     June is noxious weed awareness month in Nebraska and landowners should take every effort to control noxious weeds on their property.
     Controlling noxious weeds represents being a good neighbor by preventing the spread of the weeds to neighboring properties.
     Bartlett said he's been busy trying to spray musk and Canada thistle. He said the musk thistle has been especially bad this spring.
     He said the time to spray is just about over as the plant begins to bloom and fill with seed.
     At that point, the only way to control the plant is by cutting off the bloom and burning it.