This forest area covers more than 330,000 hectares and has a storage capacity of 4.6 million cubic meters. The climate there is extremely dry, the annual precipitation is only 10 ~ 50 mm, and the salt content under the sand layer is as high as 50%. Therefore, this Populus euphratica forest is a valuable natural resource in arid and sandy areas of our country, which has made great contributions in improving local environmental conditions, stopping sandstorms and ensuring agricultural and animal husbandry production.
Populus euphratica can grow in this arid and salinized soil because it has many characteristics of adapting to drought and salinity. First of all, the root system of Populus euphratica is extremely developed, especially the lateral roots are dense as a net. It has been estimated that a Hu Yangshu, aged 15, has a root depth of only 50-70 cm, but its lateral roots are 20 meters long, so it can stand upright in the sand. At the same time, the leaves of Populus euphratica are very strange, with different sizes and shapes in different periods. For example, when they are young, their leaves are very long, which can reduce the evaporation of water, but when they reach adulthood, they become triangular, oval and kidney-shaped, and gradually leather, which effectively reduces the evaporation of water.
Populus euphratica's body can store a lot of water like a camel, and it is drought-resistant. The drier it is, the more water is stored. If the trunk of Populus euphratica breaks, the water evaporates and the surface of leaves is also rich in salt. The researchers determined that the surface salt content of a Populus euphratica is 5%, the root is about 2.5%, and the bark is about 10%. This is the secret why Populus euphratica can survive in soil with salt content as high as 3%. Populus euphratica is a hero in the struggle against salinity.
Populus euphratica can't grow very tall, generally more than 2 meters, but a rare "Populus euphratica king" grows in the lower reaches of Andorra River in Tarim Basin. It is 22 meters high, the crown diameter is 20 meters, the branch height is 5 meters, DBH is 2 meters, and the tree age is about 250 years.
Populus euphratica is not only a hero in the desert, but also beautiful in wood grain, not moth-eaten, corrosion-resistant and moisture-proof. It is a good material for making furniture, bridges, telephone poles and potholes. It is said that the Tarim Bridge built in the early days of liberation was made of Hu Yangmu, and the fiber of Hu Yangmu is still very long, reaching more than 1 100 micron, which is a good raw material for papermaking. In addition, one Populus euphratica can harvest more than one kilogram of Populus euphratica, with a purity of 60% to 70%. It can be used as food, soap and chemical raw materials, and its leaves are also good feed for sheep.