Re: George Ball's NYT op-ed article

**"Duane Campbell" d*@chilitech.net**

This is as articulate an exposition of the situation as I have ever seen. 
Thanks, Marge.

D

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum" 
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 4:50 AM
Subject: Re: [GWL] George Ball's NYT op-ed article

> Since I can't access the NY Times, I have not read George Ball's
> article.  However, this thread concerns a topic on which I have spent
> many hours of research regarding proposed USDA/APHIS legislation that
> affects the import of plants for planting (i.e. anything we might
> want to grow in our gardens in any form from seed to bulb to cutting
> to rooted plant).
>
> Allow me to preface my diatribe by saying that I have nothing against
> native plants; I grow and admire many of them, just as I grow and
> admire many 'exotic' plants.  Conversely, I curse and pull quite a
> few rampant natives just as I do rampant 'exotics' when they exhibit
> world conquering tendencies.   I am, however, getting tired of the
> current 'native plant' bandwagon trailing its potentially long and
> restrictive sets of legislation that have been proposed and are
> slowly grinding their way toward enactment.  For a taste of what is
> to come, thoroughly read the documents on
> http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/safeguarding/.
>
> The current status of the 'white list' is that it does not, as such
> exist, but language advocating it has been inserted into recent PPQ
> proposed legislation, so it is going to happen unless the
> horticultural world gets off its collective duff and starts writing
> letters to APHIS and USDA.  Proposed legislation is posted for a
> limited time on the National Register and can be viewed and commented
> to online - on the web.  That's how they tell the general public
> (most of whom have never heard of it, let alone looked at it) what
> they plan to do.  Since few know about it to comment, most of what
> they plan moves right on ahead into law.   The beginning of major
> restrictions on what you and I can plant was the enforcement of an
> old law requiring phytosanitary certificates for all seed coming into
> this country.  That law was on the books for years, but not enforced.
> It is now being enforced.  Joyce Fingerut of NARGS has worked long
> and hard with USDA to get them to see reason concerning small
> quantities of seed; I do not know if she is succeeding.  That is a
> whole 'nother' story.
>
> One of the issues of 'exotic' plants replacing natives that I do not
> see discussed; one of prime importance in my view, is that of the
> disturbance of the native habitat by human activities or those of
> over-abundant wildlife (i.e. white tail deer who are decimating the
> forbs and young trees in all eastern US forest areas).  I am on
> Trillium list and note the number of posts from those who travel
> around the country to observe Trillium in the wild and report that
> once healthy stands no longer exist because of deer damage.  That's
> just one example.
>
> On Carnivorous Plant list, there has been a recent thread about the
> destruction of bogs holding good populations of Sarracenia and other,
> some rare, CPs, through human activity.  Our own government is now in
> the process of selling some of these bogs as excess non-productive
> public lands that no longer fit into the scope of the Forest Service
> (i.e. they don't produce salable timber or other exploitable natural
> resources).  This is done with one hand while the other works toward
> restricting the import of 'exotic' plants for horticultural use in
> order to "safeguard" our native ecosystems.  This is the same
> government that introduced, and in many cases planted, the bulk of
> those 'exotic' plants that have turned out to be truly invasive;
> indeed, some branches of same still instruct farmers to plant Hall's
> honeysuckle and fertilize it to encourage game.
>
> Tony Avent once posted that " According to Dr. Sarah Reichard of the
> University of Washington and USDA advisor on invasive plants; the
> majority (I recall between 80 and 90%) of the official list of
> invasive (displacing natives in an undisturbed habitat) were
> introduced, planted, and promoted by the US Government.  Most of
> these were by the US Soil Conservation Service, the USDA, and the US
> Fish and Wildlife.  These were planted by the 100,000's....not in
> ones and twos.  You will find that
> many of the plants designated as invasive by the USDA are still
> promoted for planting by other branches of the US Government. I do
> have a problem putting the fox in charge of the hen house."
>
> In my own area, across the street, in fact, is a bit of rare
> ecosystem, the Travilah Serpentine Area considered Maryland's rarest
> natural community type. It's the 2nd largest of 4 known sites
> supporting 7 state listed threatened or endangered species + 13
> watchlist species.  Permission has been given for development of
> McMansions on this land, with a section reserved as public park to
> "preserve" the ecosystem.  Balls!  They might as well pave the entire
> thing.   Reading the minutes of the planning board meeting about this
> can raise blood pressure in those with low tolerance for BS.  Once
> such an area is disturbed by humans, it is doomed. It won't be the
> 'exotic' plants in my garden that cause its demise, either.
>
> Many native plants (as well as 'exotic' ones)  have very specific
> requirements for survival.  If those are not met for any reason, such
> as over browsing, human activities or climate changes, for example,
> they die out and leave empty space for colonization by species who
> can survive in the environment at hand.  All plants are opportunists.
> The strong will survive and prosper and the weak will die.  Human
> activity (roads, houses, off road vehicle use, global warming -
> whatever) is incredibly more harmful to our 'native' plant life than
> any horticultural escapee.  There are virtually no areas of virgin
> wilderness around today, particularly in heavily populated parts of
> this country; even what looks like wild woods today might have been a
> cultivated field 100 years ago.  Even if it was woods that long ago,
> it is no doubt now but a fragment of what it originally was.
> Fragmentation of ecosystems by human activity encourages truly
> invasive plants.
>
> While we're on the subject of 'invasive', let's make sure we are
> using the word correctly.  An "invasive species" is defined as a
> species that is 1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under
> consideration and 2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause
> economic or environmental harm or harm to
> human health. (Executive Order 13112).
> http://www.invasivespecies.gov. Environmental harm is usually defined
> at disruption and displacement of native plants in a functioning
> natural ecosystem.
>
> One also needs to keep in mind that a 'functioning *natural*
> ecosystem' is just that.  It's not some bit of waste ground or run
> over scrub woods next door to the local service station.  That space
> has no doubt been occupied by weeds for years.  There aren't a lot of
> honest to god functioning natural ecosystems left in this country
> today.
>
> Plants that seed heavily around the garden may seem invasive to the
> gardener, but they need to fall under this accepted description to be
> considered invasive.  So, let's use the word correctly when we write
> about over enthusiastic plants.  If a plant does not meet the above
> definition, it ain't 'invasive'...find another descriptive adjective.
>
> While we're defining words, we could work on the term 'native'.
> Native to where and when?  How far do we go back in history to
> determine if a plant is 'native'?   Panayoti Kelaidis put this
> question quite well once in a post to Alpine-L.  I'm sure he wouldn't
> mind me quoting him:
>
> "Do we mean pre-European settlement, or prior to Amerindian
> settlement? America's "native peoples" (Eurasian transplants,
> incidentally) are now credited with vectoring more and more "native"
> plants (the ranges of Kentucky Coffee trees in the East and Datura
> wrightii in the West are two of many plants that may in large part be
> thanks to prehistoric human distribution). How far back do we go?
> Coast redwoods and cycads have grew [sic] in Colorado in Cenozoic
> times: are you going to tell me that these are not native? If I were
> to plant my rock garden with a lush endemic Tertiary flora (it could
> be argued that's precisely what many woodland gardeners are doing),
> would I not be trumping your pitifully depauperate Pleistocene flora
> (horribly mucked up by mammoths and cave men)? You can see that
> things can get a bit slippery if you really want to get
> literal-minded."
>
> Trying to recapture some supposedly more perfect past by controlling
> what grows where is IMO an exercise in futility, but it does keep
> growing numbers of people busy and out of other trouble, I suppose.
> It is too bad that all the energy devoted to banning 'exotic' plants
> can't be put to good use in curbing destructive (but lucrative) human
> behavior which is the root cause of any loss of native ecosystems.
>
> Fifty years ago, hardly anyone knew what a native plant was, let
> alone wanted to save it.  I think educating people about native
> plants is a good thing as long as it does not lead to fanatic
> behavior, which, sadly, it appears to be doing.  So much
> misinformation based on no or faulty science is being bandied about
> today in the name of saving our native plants.
>
> I would find Joan Gardner Ehrenfeld's letter to the editor more
> compelling had she cited actual studies and facts rather than
> regurgitating the bit  about garden escapees harming range land and
> production forests - both areas that have already been thoroughly
> disturbed by human activity.
>
> I would very much like to see someone itemize these 'careful
> estimates' of economic damage.  I see this sort of phrase bruited
> about with large numbers attached but never with any specifics.  Who
> is compiling this information and from what sources and based on what
> scientific data?
>
> There is no doubt that some areas have become over-run by introduced
> plants, but before people become xenophobic about 'exotic' plants,
> they need to address the reasons they may be flourishing to the
> detriment of whatever plant the person considers 'better' or 'more
> worthy' for whatever personal reasons of their own.  Plants are
> plants.  They have no agenda except survival; they survive where the
> environment is suitable for them to do so.  People are the ones who
> feel the need to label and control them.
>
> I just wish that all the "ecologists, biologists, botanists,
> zoologists and countless volunteers who are motivated to preserve our
> national heritage, and our continental biodiversity" would
> concentrate on the human activities that alter our ecosystems beyond
> hope and not on restricting plants used in horticulture.
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Shadyside Garden Designs
>
>
>
>
> ----------
>> From: Maryann Whitman <maryannwhitman@comcast.net>
>>
>> And this is one of the letters that will be published probably this
> weekend:
>>
>> To the Editor:
>> Re "Border War," by George Ball (Op-Ed, March 19):
>>
>> No ecologist argues that all garden plants should be jettisoned.
> Rather,
>> ecologists have documented the tremendous damage done to natural
> ecosystems,
>> including rangelands and production forests, by a small number of
> garden
>> species that escape their domestic setting, reproduce abundantly
> without
>> human intervention and displace native species.
>> A recent careful estimate of the economic damage done by nonnative
> plants
>> puts the cost at $35 billion a year. With this kind of impact, it
> does not
>> seem to be too great a request to ask that gardeners give up the
> relatively
>> few species known to cause problems and focus on the numerous
> species that
>> can be enjoyed without worry and without guilt.
>> A good gardener doesn't sling mud.
>>
>> Joan Gardner Ehrenfeld
>> New Brunswick, N.J., March 20, 2006
>> The writer is a professor of ecology at Rutgers University.
>>
>>
>>
>> Maryann
>>
>> Maryann Whitman
>> Editor, Wild Ones Journal
>> www.for-wild.org
>>
>> Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes: promotes
> environmentally sound
>> landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the
> preservation,
>> restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild
> Ones is a
>> not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
>> [g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> Maryann
>> Whitman
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 10:32 AM
>> To: 'Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum'
>> Subject: Re: [GWL] George Ball's NYT op-ed article
>>
>> One such letter to the Times:
>> ====================================================
>>
>> To the Editor of the New York Times in response to op-ed
> contribution by
>> George Ball, March 19, 2006:
>>
>>
>>
>> A 'debate' is a system of logical argument. What Mr. Ball launched
> was a
>> fulminating diatribe based on self-serving emotion, little if any
> fact and
>> concerned only with his 'bottom line'.
>>
>> He does great disservice to the readers of the New York Times by
> grossly
>> misrepresenting the concerns of ecologists, biologists, botanists,
>> zoologists and countless volunteers who are motivated to preserve
> our
>> national heritage, and our continental biodiversity.
>>
>> Even on his own turf, horticulture, where one would expect
> knowledge and
>> facts, Mr. Ball is irrational. Contrary to his statements,
> magnolias
>> (Magnolia acuminata, and others), sycamores (Platanus
> occidentalis), and
>> roses (Rosa palustris, R. blanda, R. carolina and others), are all
> native to
>> North America, onions (Allium cernuum) and garlic (A. canadense)
> are too;
>> kudzu and purple loosestrife were intentional agricultural and
> horticultural
>> introductions.
>>
>> One hardly knows where to start setting straight Mr. Ball.
>>
>> Maryann
>>
>> Maryann Whitman
>> Editor, Wild Ones Journal
>> www.for-wild.org
>>
>> Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes: promotes
> environmentally sound
>> landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the
> preservation,
>> restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild
> Ones is a
>> not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
>> [g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> Graham Rice
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 7:37 AM
>> To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
>> Subject: Re: [GWL] George Ball's NYT op-ed article
>>
>> There is a great deal of hysteria about the problem of invasives
> and
>> in that respect it's good to see George's more moderate view in
> such
>> an important forum. However, it's worth noting that amongst
>> professionals involved in the invasives issue (some of whom, of
>> course, the target of his criticism) his op-ed piece has been
> widely
>> vilified.
>>
>> Firstly, of course, it's said that sales of native plants must be
>> impacting the seed industry significantly - hence the need for
> George
>> to write the piece at all! Secondly and far more importantly, there
>
>> are unfortunately some significant errors of fact in the piece
> which
>> have been widely ridiculed and which certainly reduce the strength
> of
>> his argument. For example, he says kudzu and purple loosestrife
> were
>> "accidental introductions from Asia". Not so - not accidental, and
> in
>> the case of purple loosestrife not from Asia.
>>
>> The piece has caused anger and derision, prompted a letter-writing
>> campaign to the Times, and opposing op-ed pieces have also been
>> contributed.
>>
>> The views of some of the invasives professionals are certainly
>> extreme (and, says he matching their own cynicism) their continuing
>
>> employment depends on their talking up the issue. There is a need
> to
>> propagate a more moderate view. But in this case, and considering
> the
>> mailing list on which we are now discussing this article, there's
>> also a lesson for us all: Get your facts right. [How the famous NYT
>
>> fact-checkers let the mistakes through is another issue...]
>>
>> Graham Rice
>> Milford, PA
>>
>>
>> >I would like very much to initiate a discussion on George Ball's
> article in
>> >the Times. Betty Mackey has said she thought it was excellent. May
> I ask
>> >specifically what aspect you agreed with?
>> >
>> >I expect there are many strong opinions out there. I too have
> strong
>> >opinions but I don't intend to rile anyone. I'm asking for
> opinions.
>> >
>> >Maryann
>> >
>> >Maryann Whitman
>> >Editor, Wild Ones Journal
>> >www.for-wild.org
>> >
>> >Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes: promotes
> environmentally
>> sound
>> >landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the
> preservation,
>> >restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild
> Ones is a
>> >not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
>> >[g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> bbmackey
>> >Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 12:44 PM
>> >To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
>> >Subject: Re: [GWL] Geroge Ball's talk at GWA Philly Flower Show
>> >
>> >Last Tuesday I was interviewed on Nellie Neal's radio show in
> Mississippi
>> >and one of my topics was trends and the Philadelphia Flower Show,
> so I
>> >picked up on some of the themes George Ball had mentioned.
>> >
>> >Also I saw George's excellent editorial on native plants in the
> New York
>> >Times -- Saturday I think.
>> >
>> >Betty Mackey
>> >www.mackeybooks.com
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
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>> >
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>> >
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