Tracking Changes in Riparian Vegetation Associated with Saltcedar Control along the Pecos River, TX

     The Pecos River originates in central New Mexico, flows through West Texas, and joins Rio Grande at the US-Mexico border.  Banks of the Pecos have been infested with saltcedar for the last several decades.  It has been suggested that, because they are invasive and form very dense stands, saltcedars have higher evapotranspiration rates than other native vegetations do.    As part of the regional water conservation efforts, workers in Texas initiated saltcedar control along the lower Pecos by spraying herbicides in year 2000.  In collaboration with the researchers at the Texas Cooperative Extension Center in Fort Stockton, who are involved in such efforts, I have been analyzing satellite remote sensing data from Landsat 7 and ASTER to track riparian vegetation changes associated with saltcedar control.  For more information the saltcedar control projects along the Pecos, please visit the TCEC website. 

Left: Natural color image for a section of the Pecos near Mentone, TX obtained from Landsat 7 in September 1999, before saltcedar control began.   Right: Sections of the river that experienced major vegetation changes from 1999 to 2000 are highlighted.  Red sections lost vegetation due to the killing of saltcedars.