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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Exotic Plant Erradication

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  • From: Steve Diver <steved@ncatark.uark.edu>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Exotic Plant Erradication
  • Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 11:27:20 -0500

Thanks Kirby,

Your post below provided a helpful glimpse into your point
of view and experience.

Years ago when I was studying horticulture in college I once
expressed a very negative attitute about Tree of Heaven, simply
because it was an exotic. But a lady friend gently reminded me
of the tree's value. I looked in her face and saw the botanical
truth in her sentiment. I was embarrassed for my stupidity.
Well, that solved my bad ass horticultural attitude and I've
never dissed a tree again, always looking for merit in the value
of all living things.

I am aware that Tree of Heaven in on a list of exotics, and
you certainly need to be careful with certain exotics as
far as taking over stands of land and invading ecosystems.

Yet, I am really quite fond of Tree of Heaven as a tree.
It is the tree that grew in Brooklyn (squeezing through a
crack in the concrete jungle). It has a name which elicits
something mystical, Ailanthus altissima.

Fyi, check out the "spread" of Tree of Heaven across
Massachusetts on the animated map at this website:

Ailanthus altissima - Tree of Heaven
http://omega.cc.umb.edu/~conne/jennjim/ailanthus.html

It concludes:

"A. altissima is considered an "Invasive" species by some. But in
reality most of the habitats it invades are places where not many
other species can grow. Its only fault may be decreasing the
biodiversity of urban weeds; the other species it outcompetes are
often non-native themselves. And we are all to blame for this, since
the recent success of this species is due in part to the alteration of
the landscape by humans."

Best regards,
Steve Diver


Kirby Fry wrote:

> Steve,
>
> >> I guess I don't understand this thread. <<
>
> The thread was originally about whether or not we should feel justified
> pursuing the eradication of certain plants once they are labled, "exotic /
> invasive," or even just "invasive" such as woody brush encroaching on a
> traditional grasslands.
>
> When I said 'no exceptions' in a previous post, I meant that invasive exotic
> plants should not be an exception to our ethics. If I came across a stand
> of Chinese tallow trees encroaching on a Gulf Coast Prairie, which is often
> the case, I personally could not justify knocking them down because, "they
> don't belong there."
>
> I would maintain that without the massive disturbance of herds of bison, and
> to a limited degree fire, we should yield to some of the grasslands of North
> America being covered over by woodlands. To resist woody encroachment with
> a bull dozer and a fire brand, IMO, is working against Nature.
>
> >> What difference does it make if a plant is exotic or native.
> Agriculture is manipulation of natural ecosystems. Permaculture is
> cultivated ecology. <<
>
> I would agree, but how do we regard invasive exotics once out of the realm
> of agriculture? Then there's range management (a form of agriculture) that
> has to deal with woody encroachment all of the time. In Texas, at least,
> anyone allowing that juniper and mesquite encroachment is a good thing is
> regarded as a pariah.
>
> Del Winager, a Texas historian who documents that Texas was not simply open
> grass land, has been called a lone crank by the aggie academics. Savory and
> Mollison have been called extremists by the same crowd because they don't
> encourage the use of controlled burning and contend that the grasslands are
> animal maintained rather than fire maintained.
>
> If I was installing a permaculture right exactly where the tallow trees were
> I would save as many tallows as possible, feel just as bad for cutting an
> oak as a tallow and probably allow the tallow to co-exist in the
> permaculture garden.
>
> >> Give me about a dozen examples of what a farmer would encounter. Let's
> talk about land management in terms of 0.5, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 120,
> 360, 720, and 1500 acre size farms, OK? <<
>
> Okay, let's look at more examples of when we might have to ponder whether
> we're working with or against Nature. I take it you're asking for examples
> of organic operations? Please feel free to ad more for discussion. Small
> scale (0.5, 2.5, 5):
>
> Snakes are getting in the chicken coup. Do we start killing the snakes or
> make the coup snake proof? Cattail are invading small ponds where
> commercial water plants are being cultivated. Do we begin systematically
> removing the cattail? Johnson grass and Bermuda grass are invading garden
> beds all over. Do we try to keep them out?
>
> Medium scale (10, 20, 40, 60, 120, 360): Most of the sorghum, soy and corn
> farmers east of Austin till whichever direction poses the fewest turn
> arounds. Erosion is staggering. Should they till on contour and / or avoid
> tillage all together? The sesbania plant is a legume that invades Texas
> rice paddies and the seed is almost the same shape and size as a rice grain,
> passing through the sifters. Do we eradicate it around every rice farm?
>
> Dairy and beef operations concentrate manure in lagoons, methane outgassing
> is great and ground water contamination common. Should dairy men somehow
> counter the gasses and contaminants they release?
>
> Large scale (720, 1,500): Smaller tracts of land are cleared of their
> brushy margins and consolidated into ever larger tracts so that machinery
> can maneuver and make better progress. Where do we draw the line regarding
> uninterrupted field size and how often should we have wind breaks and
> wildlife islands?
>
> Mesquite and juniper cover over grazing lands. How much time and energy do
> we invest in clearing the brush?
>
> 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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