Abu Dhabi's Forgotten Planting Project

This rather sad photo shows a failed tree planting project in the desert of Abu Dhabi. This monoculture of saplings died when the irrigation failed and went unnoticed.

Trying to shoehorn the wrong species into the wrong environment at the wrong phase of succession is always going to end in failure as we are battling nature rather than trying to collaborate, align, and move through succession.

What is interesting are the green shrubs that are naturally forming, perhaps given just enough shade by the now dead trees.

These are from the chenopod family that includes tumbleweed and wild quinoa and have evolved over the millennia to succeed in this harsh desert environment and high saline conditions. Their ideal role is as a colonizer, to cover the soil, start to build carbon, and allow life to develop.

The indigenous chenopods weren't planted but naturally established. This probably occurred via a dormant seed bank in the soil and in spite of the conditions. Observing what grows locally and the conditions that allow that growth are key first steps.