Re: Psuedacorus banned

Bob,

Very well written.

Fire is a "hot" topic in our area and the human response to fire is a major
problem. Historically, small fires cleaned and rejuvenated much of the
forests and grasslands. (Some of our native plants require the heat of a
small fire to germinate.) Large fires swept through about once every 100
years, changing the landscape dramatically and setting the stage for new
growth on a grand scale.

With more people moving farther into the country, more aggressive fire
control has been practiced. More densely packed growth, insect damage, and
illness in the forests has followed.

I do wonder about the wisdom of trying to halt all changes in any
environment. I'm a firm believer in the idea that new species are constantly
being generated to take the place of old species in decline as part of a
natural process. Over the short term, it can be difficult to see where
restricting an area to the perceived prototype of 100 years ago would be
disadvantageous. Over 1,000 years, it may be another matter entirely.

Don't misunderstand.... I'm currently doing my darndest to kill off the
knapweed that's been transported in (It's overtaken whole pastures in our
area.) along with the toadflax and hawkweed that are trying to become pests.

Where new colonies of plants (new, native, or introduced) can move into an
area and fill a potential gap in the ecosystem it may be that forced
stagnation will eventually cause more problems than it solves.

Christy

Skip & Christy Hensler
THE ROCK GARDEN
Newport, WA
http://www.povn.com/rock/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robt R Pries" <rpries@sbcglobal.net>

If we really wish to preserve the environment of a hundred years ago, maybe
we should try to understand what it really looked like, and not base our
judgements on the dominant invasive natives that have replaced the ancient
climaxes.





------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/2gGylB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iris-species/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     iris-species-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index