Tree planting for salinity affected areas

When the watertable in an area is less than two metres below the soil surface, capillaries in the soil enable water to be evaporated from the surface.

If the water or the soil is naturally saline, salt can become concentrated in the surface layers.

Unless corrected, this inevitably leads to land degradation and the loss of productive land.

Planting trees alone is seldom sufficient to overcome salinity problems.

Mechanical works to better drain the area, in conjunction with reduced grazing to allow increased grass growth, is critical.

Tree planting, however, can be an important part of a comprehensive approach.

This Primefact covers the following topics:

• Benefits of trees in salt affected areas
• Planting and care to boost growth and survival
• Suitable trees and shrubs for salt affected areas