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Comment by soperj | Hacker News Reader

Don't know why you couldn't replant trees then. There are many types trees that do well in saltier soil. For example, White Ash, Red Cedar, Black Walnut, Japanese Black Pine, Pin Oak and Red Oak. Doubt it'd take much to get something estabilshed, and it'd probably take over on it's own gradually.

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Not sure that you'd want to plant a bunch of European trees to replace native Australian forests.

Why?

Australia lost large parts of its native wildlife due to things like this.

It would be futile. Native Samphire, melaleucas and casuarinas can live in saline soil conditions that would kill most anything non-native. There may be exceptions of course.

Its when the Samphire starts to die that you know your in shit street.

Those were examples.

Find the australian equivalent.

Pretty easy to find.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis (River Red Gum) is one that is great in high saline environments.

Eucalyptus leucoxylon (Yellow Gum), Eucalyptus melliodora (Yellow Box), Eucalyptus microcarpa (Grey Box), Eucalyptus ovata (Swamp Gum), Eucalyptus viminalis (Manna Gum), Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood), Allocasuarina verticillata (Drooping Sheoak) Are all good in medium saline environments.

So have your pick.

Or grow an edible halophyte, such as Salicornia.

In the long run, it would probably be wise to introduce a profitable salt-sequestering crop into regular rotations, just to keep marginal lands from becoming unfarmable.

Native Australian trees are the most salt-hardy trees on the planet. The non-native species you listed would most likely not even survive in "normal" Australian soil conditions.

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