Park officials in Portland, Texas, are taking action to eliminate a pair of invasive tree species causing substantial damage in the area.
“There’s a lot of salt cedar and white lead tree that’s taken over out here and is choking out a lot of the native vegetation and wildlife as well,” Quinn Hendrick, communications manager for Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, said to KRIS 6 News.
The two tree species have invaded much of the American Southwest since being introduced because they reproduce quickly and kill off native plants through overcrowding. The white lead tree grows in heavy thickets that block sunlight, killing native flora underneath, notes the University of Arizona’s Invasive Plants resource…