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  • From: <eureka AT hctc.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Roadside managemnt was: Beetle Invasion in N.E.
  • Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:33:21 -0600

That's a very good question. The Wildflower Center puts on a conference "Managing Roadsides Naturally" every few years and it is well attended by DOTs from all over the nation (and Mrs. Johnson when she was alive). I was often consulted by TXDOT on wildflowers for roadside mixes...but then I'd be driving around and see California poppies coming up in the middle of the bluebonnets. This means they either got their seed from growers I did not recommend or whatever I suggested just went in one ear and out the other. Or worse, they just scraped all the topsoil off in a project, taking the seedbed who knows where, and brought in topsoil from who knows where full of invasive grass. Nothing like losing your wildflowers to Johnson grass or KR.

TXDOT has their own regional landscape architects, but if you recall my story on fighting them to keep our ROW trees from being cut down "for safety purposes" they seem to be all about contracting mowers (and designing roadside welcome signs to cities), just like our extension agents are all about managing for deer. Our LA is headquartered in the desert about four hours away, where there are no trees.

Here's some possible clues from a good abstract I've heard presented on the subject:
http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1089&context=jmie/roadeco

"A key issue is the skill level of managers responsible for overseeing the project. In this regard, DOTs are usually
woefully lacking. Vegetation management is an important department of DOTs whose focus is usually limited to
controlling vegetation height and weed control. These activities are well codified and training is widely available.
Their functions can easily be contracted and are sometimes performed by fairly low-wage employees."

"Because most native plant advocates speak from a specific area of concern such as wildflowers, prairies, or
simply the broad category of native plants, it is often difficult for these advocates and roadside managers to
understand each other. This derives from the manager and advocate having an incomplete understanding of
each other perspective, language, and goals. Advocates frequently have a poor understanding of the goals and
priorities of highway design and management, or of the political and budgetary constraints involved."

The problem I see here is the local employees don't know how to tell when the wildflowers have set seed, and they mow too early. Bluebonnets look pretty scrappy when they are setting seed, and the engineers are in a hurry to make it look tidy and use the fear of fire during burn bans as an excuse to mow whenever they want.

--Sage

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:35:26 -0800 (PST)
bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com> wrote:
I'm not being a smart aleck, I'm being serious when I ask: If you know this, then why don't the botanists at Tex DOT know this, and stop?

p.s. Your initial message, below, came to me rather than the list


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


--- On Wed, 11/5/08, eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net> wrote:

From: eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net>
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Beetle Invasion in N.E.
To: bobford79 AT yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 10:30 AM
http://www.texasinvasives.org/Invasives_Database/Results/Detail.asp?Symbol=BOISS

It's just as bad as bermuda, an aggressive spreader. It
comes from Africa, and was introduced by the King Ranch of
Texas for erosion control in the 1930's because of
it's drought tolerance, but oddly it has little value as
forage or hay. King Ranch Bluestem (or KR for short) is
perennial bunchgrass, not even a true bluestem. It's
considered invasive by many noteworthy national agencies but
is still being seeded by the TXDOT and pushed by agencies
with holes in their heads. The best way to get rid of it is
tillage, but good luck tilling our gravel soil. Fire
suppression is helpful, but you must burn in the summer and
most of the time we are under a burn ban then. BTW, it's
in your state too, and throughout the south.

--Sage



On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:05:11 -0800 (PST)
bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> What is KR, is it like bermuda in the city, growing
everywhere you don't want? I don't know how things
are nowadays, I just remember different people making
suggestions to my father and his friends. Some they
trusted, some not. Building trust is essential. Someone, at
some time, convinced people to bulldoze their yards. I
don't understand it either .....bobford
> >
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > --- On Wed, 11/5/08, eureka AT hctc.net
<eureka AT hctc.net> wrote:
> >> From: eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Homestead] Beetle Invasion in N.E.
>> To: bobford79 AT yahoo.com,
homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 9:53 AM
>> The problem here is nobody--not even the
government--is
>> telling them not to clear everything. In fact, as
far as I
>> can tell the extension agents and soil
conservation
>> districts are the ones actually encouraging this,
and there
>> are financial incentives for land owners to do so.
I
>> don't understand why these agencies don't
see the
>> impact this has on erosion and water quality. The
only
>> agency I know that is very concerned is the river
authority
>> and their hands are tied, as the majority of their
funding
>> is for cleaning up messes rather than educating
and
>> pre-empting them.
>> >> My neighbor and I have had many good conversations
about
>> ecology over the years, and I do so admire his
ability as an
>> alternative builder to think outside the box, so I
was (as
>> you recall) extremely floored when he cleared the
land
>> around us, including bull dozing the creeks,
destroying a
>> lot more than just our privacy. Although he
bounces a lot of
>> ideas off us about future projects, he did not
once ask what
>> we thought of this idea before he began, and
continued the
>> destruction well after we let him know our
thoughts and gave
>> him oak wilt information. As an afterthough he
asked me what
>> kind of grass he should plant along the denuded
creek, and I
>> gave him some native suggestions, and begged him
not to use
>> invasive KR. He swears he did not plant KR, but it
is
>> suddenly all over our property and his. It's
heavily
>> promoted by the aforementioned agencies.
>> >> He recently asked my husband if we have forgiven
yet, and
>> my husband said no. We all remain friends. But I
will not
>> hesitate to sue him if his erosion causes my land
to erode,
>> or if my oaks contract oak wilt from his mistakes.
And I
>> have never been a litigious person.
>> >> --Sage
>> >> On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 08:26:59 -0800 (PST)
>> bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com> wrote:
>> > I forgot to add in my first reply. Where I
grew up ,
>> most of the country people would have listened to
you and
>> followed much of your instructions, IF : You
didn't
>> tell them the gov't was making them do it. And, you did
>> not condescend to them (and having a southern
accent would
>> be helpful) :-) ....bobford
>> > > > >
>>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > --- On Wed, 11/5/08,
eureka AT hctc.net
>> <eureka AT hctc.net> wrote:
>> > >> From: eureka AT hctc.net
<eureka AT hctc.net>
>> >> Subject: Re: [Homestead] Beetle Invasion
in N.E.
>> >> To: bobford79 AT yahoo.com,
>> homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> >> Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 9:06
AM
>> >> We have Oak Wilt, carried by a beetle
dangerously
>> close to
>> >> us, about 15 minutes away. It is also
often spread
>> through
>> >> firewood, some idiot cutting down an oak
>> that's died
>> >> from it and selling the wood, or using
the same
>> chain saw
>> >> afterwards without cleaing it. If
you've
>> visited my blog
>> >> you understand the size of our oaks and
concern
>> around here.
>> >> >> Another thing the article brings
up is the loss of
>> property
>> >> values in the area where the destruction,
and
>> preventative
>> >> destruction is taking place. One thing I
am big on
>> as a
>> >> botanist is encouraging people to have
trees of
>> all ages,
>> >> including babies and teenagers, so to
speak since
>> landscapes
>> >> are dynamic. This helps in maintaining
property
>> value. I am
>> >> so often amazed that people's
landscapes
>> include only
>> >> the mature (because everything else has
been
>> cleared away,
>> >> such as my neighbor's place) or in
new
>> subdivision built
>> >> on scraped ground, young trees of the
same
>> relative age
>> >> brought in for landscaping. Diversity
isn't
>> just limited
>> >> to species, but should involve life
stages as
>> well.
>> >> >> Maybe those of you managing
woodlots have an
>> understanding
>> >> of this, but in Texas very few do. Large
ranches
>> go to great
>> >> lengths to take out what they see as
undesirable
>> underbrush
>> >> through controlled burns. I understand
they want
>> grass and
>> >> have little need of firewood, but they
don't
>> even
>> >> protect their riparian areas. We make
sure on our
>> property
>> >> we have trees of all ages.
>> >> >> --Sage
>> >> >> On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 05:15:53
-0800 (PST)
>> >> bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>
wrote:
>> >> >> From this am Wash Post. This
sounds like
>> a
>> >> significant pestilence in Susan
Jane's neck of
>> the woods
>> >> ....bobf
>> >> > > >
>> >>
>>
------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >> > > > Authorities Hope Beetle
Invasion
>> Can Be Ground to a
>> >> Halt
>> >> > Crystal Franciosi, a U.S.
Department of
>> Agriculture
>> >> tree climber, records her findings after
checking
>> for Asian
>> >> longhorned beetles in Worcester, Mass.
(Stephan
>> Savoia - AP)
>> >> >> > > WORCESTER, Mass. -- A
wood-devouring
>> beetle has gained
>> >> a foothold in New England, and
authorities plan to
>> cut down
>> >> large numbers of infested trees and grind
them up
>> to stop
>> >> the pest from spreading to the
region's
>> celebrated
>> >> forests and ravaging the timber, tourism
and
>> maple-syrup
>> >> industries
>> >> > > > > >
>> >>
>>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110403574.html?hpid=sec-nation
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