Challenge of a desert: revegetation of disturbed desert lands

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:7086987

Wallace, A; Romney, E M; Hunter, R B

The revegetation of disturbed, arid lands is one of the great challenges of a desert. It is not an impossible task, however, if one utilizes and properly manages both the natural and the man-made resources available. Through better understanding of the processes governing revegetation and the ability to control them, it is possible for man to more rapidly restore disturbed desert lands. Terrain manipulation to form moisture catchment basins, selection of seed from pioneering shrub species, preservation of existing shrub clump fertile islands in the soil, supplemental fertilization and irrigation, and transplanting vigorous shrub species are some of the important things that can be done to help restore disturbed desert land. Some of the costs can be off-set by restoring the land to economically important trees and shrubs, or grasses, instead of back to the original vegetation. Thousands of years of historical evidence of man's survival on arid lands attest to success in meeting the challenge of the desert. (41 references)

• Research Organization: California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Lab. of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-03-0012
• OSTI ID: 7086987
• Report Number(s): UCLA-12-1123; CONF-770369-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARID LANDS
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
BIOMASS
CLIMATES
DESERTS
ECONOMICS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
GENETIC VARIABILITY
GERMINATION
GROWTH
MOISTURE
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
PRODUCTIVITY
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
REVEGETATION
SEEDS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS