Saltcedar can be found in agricultural areas, desert, lakes, riparian zones, disturbed areas, urban areas, water courses and wetlands.  It often establishes in disturbed areas where natural flooding is reduced, such as downstream of dams.  The seedling/young plant is a poor competitor with other riparian plants so establishment is most successful where substrates are bare, such as after flood scouring or on lake margins when lake levels subside.  The seedlings are also less tolerant of flood scour than native seedlings, therefore, the salt cedar seedlings benefit from decreased flooding and more stable water supply typically found downstream of man made dams.

Saltcedar grows on many different substrates.  It can be found where its roots reach the water table, such as floodplains, along irrigation ditches and on lakeshores.  It prefers fine textured soils and has wide tolerance for saline or alkaline soils.  Establishment is most successful with alkaline soils, available soil moisture and disturbance of native vegetation.

Salt cedar seeds can spread by wind and water.  Seeds have been known to germinate while floating on water.  Salt cedar is also spread by ornamental plantings in yards and landscapes.

Since the 1800’s, saltcedar has expanded into all of the western states (>1 million ha), including those in the northern Great Plains (Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska), concentrating on floodplains and reservoir shore lands where its roots can reach the water. The northward distribution of saltcedar in North America was believed, initially, to be limited by cold temperatures.  However, Tamarix ramosissima, the most common species in the western United States, originated in the cold, dry lands of Mongolia, northern China, Tibet, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey, all which experience abbreviated frost-free seasons, and hence may not be inhibited by the cold temperatures and short growing seasons characteristic of the northern Great Plains.  Naturalized saltcedar has not yet been reported in Canada, but it has been sold as an ornamental in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. 

Saltcedar is an environmental and ecological concern because it physically and chemically alters ecosystems causing loss of habitat for native plants and animals. Saltcedar is an ecological and environmental concern because it degrades ecosystems by changing the physical and chemical properties of that system.  It is an aggressive colonizer that can form dense, monotypic stands replacing willows, cottonwoods and other native riparian vegetation.  The mature plants can secrete salt from its stems and leaves that forms a crust above and below the ground that inhibits other plants. 

Saltcedar is also an enormous water consumer.  A single, large plant can consume up to 750 litres (200 gallons) of water a day (based on environmental conditions).  Saltcedar’s high water consumption further stresses native vegetation by lowering ground water levels and can dry up springs and marshy areas.  Conversely, saltcedar infestations can also lead to flooding as its extensive root system can choke streambeds.  Saltcedar can also have detrimental impacts on wildlife as saltcedar seeds and foliage provide little nutrition value for native wildlife consumption.  Species diversity decreases where saltcedar infestations are found.

Saltcedar can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant.  It has been estimated that a single, mature salt cedar plant can product up to 500 000 seeds.  The seeds have no dormancy or after-ripening requirements.  Germination can occur almost immediately after seeds are shed when suitable germination conditions are present.  Seeds usually germinate within 24 hours on moist soils but lose viability within four to five weeks in the wild.  Seeds may even germinate floating on water.  Ideal temperature range for germination ranges between 10 and 35 Celsius.

Flowering can begin when the plant is only one year old.  At least one species of introduced saltcedar, Tamarix ramosissima, is self-compatible. Seeds are randomly dispersed by wind and water to be deposited on both suitable and unsuitable sites. Saltcedar is tolerant of saline substrates and drought, as well as flooding, fire, and other disturbances.