[APWG] FW: Science or unfounded rumor?

[Robert Layton Beyfuss]

I am pleased to see that some groups recognize the fact that even native plants may become invasive. Wikipedia now gives a second definition of invasive that includes native plants but the history of this term is based on country of origin. This listserve is the Alien Plant Working Group however, not the invasive plant working group. My question to you Scott and others on this list is this. If an exotic, invasive plant that also happens to provide excellent forage suddenly started to become established in pastures and rangelands would you desire to eradicate it? I assume the pastures are for grazing animals other than buffalo, i.e exotic animal species.
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From: apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org [apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of Scott Lenharth [scott.lenharth at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:39 PM
To: apwg at lists.plantconservation.org
Subject: Re: [APWG] FW: Science or unfounded rumor?

On the contrary, native plants are labeled and managed as invasives when their colonization disrupts a given ecosystem.  Examples include the various species of juniper here in the midwest and south.  At the same time, many human-introduced plants are routinely ignored in land management since they pose no threat to the target habitat.  Certain species of Daucus fit this.

There is a very real economic threat posed by invasives, especially in the rangelands and farms of the western two-thirds of the country.  We're busy killing sericea (Lespedeza cuneata) this week NOT because we're xenophobes or blindly following some imposed order from Albany, but because it readily invades prairies and pastures - decreasing native species and rendering the fields unfit for grazing.

And yes, there are many factors involved in the changing plant composition in world ecoregions.  Is that news to anyone?

(Wayne, your text quotes from an observation in the CA Native Plant Society newsletter.  Nothing more.  Next step would be designing a study, yes?  Maybe someone did in the last 21 years.)
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