Fwd: OT Extension of comment period/plant white list

Government agencies have comment periods for new regulations because they do care. But if there are very few comments than they assume that the public doesnt care. Believe me you can have an effect on this issue and it will be a continuing issue for the future. The USDA has extended the comment period for a month. I am bogged down with work both Iris and otherwise but I will try to provide more information and possibly some scientific studies. In the mean time let me forward a message from Barry Yinger who collects plants for Monrovia Nurseries.


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From: Joyce Fingerut <alpinegarden@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Extension of comment period
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The following was posted on Arisaema-L by Barry Yinger, and I asked his 
permission to pass it along to this list, as I consider it a helpful 
and thoughtful response.
My apologies to those who have already read it.

Joyce Fingerut
Stonington, Connecticut
Zone 6
_  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _

In my "real job" for a mega-nursery (the one that pays the bills) I 
have been involved with this issue for quite a while.  As a 31 year 
veteran of plant collecting and introduction from Asia, and owner of a 
nursery selling rare new plants, I will, on a personal level, have to 
deal with the outcome.

Change is coming and there is no stopping it.  I harbor no love for 
government regulation or the regulators, but it needs to be 
acknowledged that in this case there really are some officials involved 
who care about the impact of the revised regulations.  Nevertheless, 
new regulations will transform plant introduction/importation, and most 
of us will not like it much.

ANLA, American Nurserymen and Landscape Assoc., has been coordinating 
the nursery industry's response.  Craig Regelbrugge has done a lot of 
wonderful work, but as Marge suggests, almost all the lobbying will be 
directed at making the regulations acceptable to the nursery industry 
which often has a different point of view from small growers and 
hobbyists.  Tony Avent at Plant Delights is the only small nursery 
owner I know (besides me) who has been active in making suggestions 
about the new regulations.

I believe that new regulations will not stop new plant introduction, 
but it will become feasible only for large nurseries with considerable 
financial resources.  Even now, with stricter phytosanitary 
requirements already in place, it is very, very difficult for 
individuals to introduce plants alive from many countries.

If you care about this issue, please contact your representative or 
senator.  Please point out:

The ornamental horticulture industry is the number one, two, or three 
most important agricultural industry in many states (you can get the 
info for your state from your state agriculture department.)

It is still largely a collection of small to medium size family owned 
businesses that, unlike most agricultural enterprises, do not receive 
farm welfare.  It is one of the few kinds of agriculture still 
accessible to young people who do not have a thousand acres and a 
million dollars to get started.

New plants are the lifeblood of the nursery industry.  They drive sales 
and profits.  Nurseries these days don't just compete with other 
nurseries to sell plants.  They compete with other lifestyle 
industries.  If customers cannot find new and exciting plants for sale, 
many will not choose another plant, they will choose another leisure 
activity.

While I am on my soapbox, I think everyone should take a closer look at 
the history of how invasive plants have become established in this 
country.  Here in Pennsylvania, as in most places, the most serious 
invasives are not escapees from home gardens.  They were promoted and 
planted by the millions by state and federal conservation agencies for 
erosion control and game cover (Amur honeysuckle, multiflora rose, 
oriental bittersweet, barberry, Japanese honeysuckle).  Of all the 
invasive plants in my home area (I was born and raised here) only one 
is clearly an escape from home gardens: Norway maple.  When you think 
of how many thousands of exotic plants are imported and grown, the 
number of invasives is very small.  That doesn't mean that we should 
not care, but it does mean that we should pay attention and take action 
when we see a problem emerging.  The notorious Polygonum perfoliatum 
(mile a minute) was accidentally introduced at the Dauber Nursery in 
York, PA in the 1920s.  It took about seventy years to travel the 12 
miles to my farm, and then it exploded throughout the Northeast.  It 
should be called "mile a decade".  For at least 50 years, this plant 
could have been eliminated by a troop of brownie scouts with hand 
trowels, but no one cared until it was too late. If we combine a 
sensible approach to introduction with an early warning system for 
control, everyone will be happy.

As Ellen points out, we don't "need" new plants, but we don't need much 
more than potatoes, milk and sunshine to survive either, so why bother 
with all those other foods.  Let's just stand in the sun every day and 
eat our mashed potatoes.

Barry Yinger, USDA Zone 6, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania USA

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