permaculture

["April Sampson-Kelly" <askpv@ozemail.com.au>]

Dan wrote:

>if your forest still has its fungi, you may be able to save the trees,
>though
>it is a real long shot if you live in anywhere in the North Temperate Zone. 

 

we are in coastal humid rainforest borderline between sub-tropical to temperate, heavy clay soil, 

there is high recovery rate of soils in this climate [savoury]

 

BTW our north is not temperate it is stinking hot.

(Paul reckons I only know two temperatures stinking hot and freezing cold!!)

my trees are over 80 years old and still fruiting well, the fungi is on
rotted wood on the ground level.   

There are now  61 new fruit trees on our little patch and we
will soon need a saw to get through it. I don't feel there's a danger of tree loss, can never tell I guess. 

Anyway, this is where I am - Paul works at the big smoke,  which is probably ready to pack it in like 

most steel cities in so called developed countries,

and I have to practice permaculture where I am now, not in a place for retirement utopia.

maybe it is a red lichen that I have on site.  my point is - many things beyond plants are indicators.
our aboriginal people and numerous african desert tribes know this in their bones.

I also have plenty of mushrooms and yellow cloud-like fungi
that pop up and dissappear, just to add interest.   Our local rainforests depend
on fungi, lichens etc to convert old wood to soil, it is common place to our
local walkers. 

FIELD TRIP:
our little permaculture group recently went hunting for mushrooms in the penrose state forest up over on the great dividing range NSW Australia
which is indeed acid - pine I think.  They found a wonderful old polish man as well!!  

who told them even more about the different mushrooms.

Anyone round this part of town in Jan 98 can join us on a walk through the
Mt Keira bush walking track.
contact Jim and Inike,  scottk@ideal.net.au
or
Robert upitus rupitis@sydney.DIALix.oz.au


April Sampson-Kelly ADPA,BCA,MCA,GradSci,PDC
LC permaculture Visions
askpv@ozemail.com.au
sampsms@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv
GOOD PLANETS ARE HARD TO FIND
-----Original Message-----
From: YankeePerm@aol.com <YankeePerm@aol.com>
To: askpv@ozemail.com.au <askpv@ozemail.com.au>;
owner-permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
<owner-permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu>; permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
<permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Sunday, 23 November 1997 0:48
Subject: Re: Indicator plants and FUNGI


>
>In a message dated 11/21/97 12:34:22 PM, askpv@ozemail.com.au wrote:
>
>>lets not forget fungi as indicators too,
>>
>>in the first 2 years we had only white fungi on the trees
>>
>>now there is RED!!! which, according to at least two references I can dig
up
>>
>>for the sceptical in my
>>
>>chaotic office here,
>>
>>Red fungi indicates cleaner air than white fungi, no fungi in a high
>>
>>rainfall area is a concern for worry
>>
>>about high pollution levels.
>>
>>It seems that our plantings along the road are screening pollution better
>>
>>than anticipated.
>>
>>April
>
>Generally in acid (and otherwise polluted) rain and dust areas, loss of
>mycorhizzal fungi indicates the exhaustion of the soil buffering capacity.
> Then aluminum can be, and is, mobilized.  It is utterly toxic to fungi.
So
>if your forest still has its fungi, you may be able to save the trees,
though
>it is a real long shot if you live in anywhere in the North Temperate Zone.
>
>For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since
>1982), Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
>consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and now correspondence
>courses via email.  One is now underway.  Next Live program:  Paraguay,
9/98.
>Internships available. Copyright, 1997, Dan & Cynthia Hemenway, P.O. Box
52,
>Sparr FL 32192 USA  YankeePerm@aol.com
>
>We don't have time to rush.
>
>