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permaculture - RE: [permaculture] Ecosystem Diversity & Bio-mass: Prairies vs. Forests

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  • From: "Carla McAuley" <carlamcauley@earthlink.net>
  • To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [permaculture] Ecosystem Diversity & Bio-mass: Prairies vs. Forests
  • Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 07:09:53 -0600

I lived in an oak forest in Central Texas, east of Austin, for years in the late sixties and most of the seventies (where I met Scott Pittman in 1968, by the way) and it had  sprung up as a result of the land -- mostly sandy loam -- being "cottoned out" in the late 1800's.  After cotton takes almost all of the nitrogen out, the only thing that will grow is sweet potatoes and watermelon, and radishes which will grow in pure sand.  That wasn't enough of an economical return on the labor so the land fell into disuse.  When they quit plowing the land, the pin oak trees took over.  My guess is that the forest is 75 to 100 years old.  Was that before the juniper and mesquite had gotten a foothold?
 
It seems to me that what fosters and maintains the juniper and mesquite and keeps out the pine and oak is cattle ranching.  But that's just an educated intuition.
 
Good luck with your research.  I'd like to know more about it, myself.
 
Carla
-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-admin@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:permaculture-admin@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Kirby Fry
Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2002 7:14 PM
To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [permaculture] Ecosystem Diversity & Bio-mass: Prairies vs. Forests

Hello From Texas,
 
I'm looking for studies and information about the diversity and bio-mass of Texas prairies as compared to Texas woodlands.  Other general info is also certainly welcome.
 
Several folks whose main objective is restoring the prairies of Texas, a very worthy endeavor, would do so at the expense of the woody brush and woodlands that have begun to cover disturbed prairie lands - namely juniper, mesuite and other "invasive" brush species.
 
That prairies are more diverse than woodlands is another justification for clearing trees.
 
I'm also hearing that prairies have more bio-mass than forests, and that prairies have a higher ratio of underground bio-mass than woodland systems do.
 
Discussion and documented sources of information appreciated.
 
 
Kirby Fry
 
For the real scoop on environmental and social justice issues check out the archives of Democracy Now!  http://www.webactive.com/webactive/pacifica/demnow/archive.html



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