[APWG] Bad management can be worse, in California

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear All,

I want to disagree very strongly with Marc's statement.  I have been
watching the management of our last best example of native California
grasslands, for a 200 mile radius of San Francisco.

The area is called Russian Ridge, a part of a local public lands district,
and the Board 10 years ago, spent $100,000 with a consultant, to study
what would be the best methods to manage the weeds that were invading the
area.

You can read about Russian Ridge and see photos at
http://www.ecoseeds.com/invent.html.  Instead of doing what the consultant
suggested, the Board has gone for what they thought would be the cheap
solution, burning the area three times.

What the three fires have done, is killed more wildflowers, and spread the
weeds even faster, because the weeds can take advantage of the area
cleared by the fire, than the natives can recolonize the areas.

Misguided management, cheap solutions, and no before-management and after-
management vegetation transects, can leave your ecosystems in much, much
worse shape out here in the arid West.

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333