permaculture

[Heide Hermary <heidehermary@pacificcoast.net>]

These types of lichens are an important part of the nitrogen cycle, as 
they fix nitrogen from the air and produce their own carbohydrates: they 
do not take anything from the tree at all. When they fall to the ground 
they return the nitrogen to the soil. Out here we use them as a 
pollution indicator, as they are very sensitive to air pollution, and 
their disappearance is a sign of ecosystems in trouble. I can't for the 
life of me imagine what is to be gained by removing them from the tree.
Heide

Kirby Fry wrote:

> Rick,
>
> So the usnea is a lichen?
>
> Yes, a friend of ours was just about to buy a home and the big oaks in the
> front yard were covered with lichens.  They consulted me and I said it may
> indicate some decline of the oaks, they did seem to be more heavily covered
> than the other trees next door, but that I wouldn't touch the lichens or
> worry about it too much - just let the baby oaks grow up underneath.
>
> Of course they had to call an urban tree pruiner who for about $800 U.S.
> would go and pull down most of the lichens while pruining the trees.  They
> ended up not getting the house, but it goes to show the austere sort of
> ecosystems we are accustomed to and seek.
>
> Kirby
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rick Valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>
> To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 2:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Turning Deserts into Woodlands
>
>
> > > From: "Kirby Fry" :
> > > I would love to study and better understand the relationship between
> > > precipitation and vegetative covers.
> > Mollison got me looking for examples. I've never been able to get photos,
> > but I have seen recently cut areas devoid of cloud when adjacent forest is
> > covered, including a HUGE cut in Southern Beech forest in NZ (1500 acres
> at
>
> > least) that was the only open spot in the cloud cover in the mountains.
> > Here, the big trees (1-2 meter) Douglas Firs) behind my house drip
> > constantly on foggy nights or days.
> >
> > One friend remembers the stream thru his farm flowing all year, before the
> > forest above was converted to grazing. Now he pumps from his well to allow
> > the tree frogs time to mature in a small dam.
> >
> > Another can barely keep her garden watered from the creek, when the guy
> she
>
> > bought from used to keep 6 big rainbirds blasting out over the whole 10
> > acres of pasture, 25 years ago. But the floods are worse now; county road
> > culverts aren't big enough. Nearly the entire catchment above has been
> > clearcut; the first cut which went into the 1930's, was selective; no one
> > wasted time on little trees or making huge slash piles.
> >
> > I had an ecologist at OSU tell me that my ideas were crazy, trees wouldn't
> > improve the situation on Willamette valley low elevation land (as opposed
> to
>
> > studies showing fog drip up in the Cascade mountains) The next day I saw a
> > trapped cloud downwind of a "shelter belt", the narrow line of trees in a
> > gully. Weren't any other clouds anywhere else down on the land in that
> > wind...
> >
> > They call lichens "barba de palo" in Spanish; ask any hirsute male what
> > happens with his facial hair in a moist wind. Dripping wet. People always
> > ask me if they should pull the Usnea off their trees, if it's harmful?
> >
> > -Rick
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
> >
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