This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

RE: [iowa-native-plants] RE: a worrisome news item

-----Original Message-----
From: Lon Crosby [l*@starband.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 5:18 PM
To: James Trager; iowa-native-plants@list.uiowa.edu
Cc: prairie@hort.net
Subject: Re: [iowa-native-plants] RE: a worrisome news item

James - Didn't ask you to buy anything. Only asked for an implementable
solution (technically and economically) to a huge problem. The patient is in
the ER on a gurney. Here, throwing up your hands and doing nothing is a
choice. Unfortunately, if you want either perfect information and/or a
perfect solution, the patient is going to die. What do you propose doing?

(MY REPLY)
Excellent question, Lon. 

There is already a proposal afoot to resow some of these areas with a
diverse native mix, with which I agree. A problem arises in that some of the
species are not yet available in sufficient quantities for the proposed
acreage. I believe the species mix could be gradually increased by sowing
readily available ones first, and adding others later. Right after the first
management burns 4-5 years after the first plabnting would be a good time to
add additional species, which also allows time for the stocks of seed to be
built up. The proposed 30 species still seems to me like a low number, and
I'd like to see it go higher, over time. I have no problem with
demonstrated, non-invasive, annual species being sowed with the first wave
to help create biomass, structure, soil organic matter, etc. This is often
done in tallgrass plantings with no apparent harm. I admit this is a more
expensive approach than sowing Dunne's low-diversity, easily produced mix,
but to me the expense is worth it in terms of the long term result, and
let's not forget that despite recent events this is still a very rich
country. 

I think it's safe to to say that some future attempt to reestablish diverse
native vegetation will be desired, perhaps imposed, even if some other
short-term solution is enacted now. 
As I see it, sowing monoculture of an exotic or improved (i.e., inbred)
native strain may provide a stop-gap to degradation, weed invasion and soil
loss, but such a planting will still require management (burning,
appropriate grazing, perhaps some herbicide treaments), and it will still be
desirable to increase its diversity over time with species that "grew up",
evolutionarily speaking, in the region.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PRAIRIE
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index