It also participates in hydraulic redistribution moving water from deeper levels to the upper and also reversing the process in times of severe drought.

The plant has been observed to root down to groundwater tables at 20 m depth, allowing it to survive drought periods enduring several months.

[4] Furthermore, the tree is able to absorb moisture from atmosphere and redirect it to the rhizosphere, where water is exudated to the surrounding soil in a kind of reversion of a normal guttation process.

[5] Trees and shrubs of the genus Prosopis, to which Strombocarpa species were formerly assigned,[1] are well known to tolerate high saline soils without major restrictions in growth.

[6] In the northern Chilean Atacama Desert, thick salt crusts which were formed in the past through desiccation of lakes are found widely.

[citation needed] In the 19th century, the natural forests of Tamarugo at Pampa del Tamarugal were intensively cut and used as source of firewood, so that they became almost extinct.

Although it can absorb water from the atmosphere through its foliar system, initial costs can be reduced when tamarugo is planted where groundwater can be found between 2–10 m. The seeds used for propagation come from selected trees.

[12] Although Tamarugo shows a high quantity of fruit fiber the forage quality is poor because of the low digestible energy content compared to cereal stalks.

Even if the existence of Tamarugo allows the livestock production in the Pampa del Tamarugal, supplemental feeding is needed.