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Most of the US Southwest is naturally desert. There are only a few kinds of trees- such as the native palm that can live in these harsh conditions, and they nat
by _yb2s 2y ago
Most of the US Southwest is naturally desert. There are only a few kinds of trees- such as the native palm that can live in these harsh conditions, and they naturally would only occur in arroyos or places where water accumulates and wind speeds are lower during storms. The soil is also just sand, and cannot support a large tree. The Los Angeles area is filled with non-native trees that are planted in sand and watered at great expense, but they fall and destroy houses and cars everytime it gets windy.
- hosh 2y agoBrad Landcaster lives in Tuscon and has successfully been able to implement the rainwater harvesting methods to provide substantial shade in his neighborhood. It's not just planting trees, but changing the conditions to support a forest ecosystem. Water retention has a lot to do with whether water gets absorbed into the ground, and the best way to do this is provide organic matter. Here is an example, this one from Andrew Millison talking about how the central canal project of Arizona accidentally created a condition that naturally supports a forest along the canal structure. It isn't because the canal leaked, but because the canal forms a berm structure, which then accumulated enough organics to retain the monsoon rains, that then jumpstarted the succession to a forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf8usAesJvo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf8usAesJvo
- TomK32 2y agoWater retention also helps to prevent flash floods downstream and reduces the spikes in city water canals.