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<i><u>Hi, Bob and all. I saw this thread and had to horn
in.<br><br>
</u></i>"<font size=3>Hi Craig<br>
The reason why exotic seeds have been planted so extensively is because
<br>
many have been identified as having some very valuable virtues for humans
<br>
and wildlife and many also do serve valuable ecological roles. You seem
to <br>
think that all exotic plants are bad and this is simply nonsense, 90% of
<br>
our food supply is derived from exotic plants and animals. Most Americans
<br>
could not get through a single day without eating or using exotic plants
<br>
and animals. <br>
<i><u>Bob, the contribution of exotic species to our food supply is
probably more like 97%, <br>
but that point is totally unrelated here. Have you seen anyone
advocating converting <br>
the Corn Belt back to tall grass prairies?<br><br>
</u></i>20 to 30% off ALL plant species in the continental United
<br>
States are exotic in origin. The overwhelming majority have become <br>
naturalized and are either benign or useful. <br><br>
<i><u>Also 86% of the listed weeds (noxious and otherwise) in California
are introduced. <br>
In Pennsylvania 100% of the listed weeds are introduced, while Ohio lists
only <br>
1 native species out of 18 as a weed.<br><br>
</u></i>A few are invasive but damning <br>
all exotics based on the negative attributes of a very few is much like
<br>
condemning an entire race of people based on the actions of a few. Should
<br>
we engage in a campaign to eradicate everything that is exotic simple
<br>
because it is not native? <br><br>
<i><u>Should we continue a campaign of introducing and seeding exotic
species willy-nilly?<br>
</u> <br>
</i>Should we douse our fields, forest and roadsides with chemical
herbicides <br>
simply because we don't like the foreign plants that are growing there?
<br><br>
<i><u>Bob, if you think that is the message of the vast majority of
native plant enthusiasts <br>
and organizations, as well as local, state and federal agencies, then you
may be <br>
prone to major over-interpretation.<br><br>
</u></i>Who is going to pay for such an eradication and <br>
what would be the result? Nobody likes invasive plants that may displace
<br>
native plants but unless the conditions that led to invasions are <br>
addressed, attempts at eradication of well established exotics are a
waste <br>
of time and money. Weed seeds, as defined on seed packages, are simply
<br>
seeds that are not of the same species as what is being purchased.
<br><br>
<i><u>Is that why noxious weed seeds showing up in analyses of crop seed
lots <br>
is grounds for taking that entire seed lot off the market?<br><br>
</u></i>Weeds are unwanted plants, poison ivy is an unwanted plant that
most would <br>
consider a weed whether is it is native or exotic. Do some research on
the <br>
exotic plants you mention and you will learn why they have been
planted.<br><br>
<i><u>We all need to continue doing research and learning. It might
be instructive to <br>
investigate something like the salt-cedar species</u>:
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/tama1.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/tama1.htm</a> , <br>
<u>or cogongrass:</u>
<a href="http://www.cogongrass.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.cogongrass.org/</a> .<br><br>
</i>Alfalfa, for example, is perhaps the most important forage crop for
dairy <br>
cattle in the United States. <br><br>
As for damaging native ecosystems, how do you define damage? <br><br>
<i>N<u>ative ecosystems are communities of native plants, native animals,
native microbes, <br>
all living together on a landscape (soil). The composition of those
communities and <br>
that soil is the result of co-evolution of the organisms and that
landscape (soil) under <br>
the influence of thousands to millions of years of the climatic history
of the region. <br>
Drastically disturb (fire, hurricane, plow, etc.) such an ecosystem, and
within a period of <br>
years, depending on location, that ecosystem, if left alone, will
self-restore to its original state.<br><br>
Introducing invasive exotic plants through arrogance or ignorance can
derail that ability of the <br>
native system to self-restore, or certainly take the self-restoration to
a different endpoint. <br>
We humans have much to learn at the knee of such ecosystems.<br><br>
</u></i>In the broadest sense any and all human activities could be <br>
construed as "damaging" to natural ecosystems in the extent
that they alter <br>
"natures" normal pathways. This is certainly true for
virtually all agriculture. <br><br>
What would be the ecological effect of widespread herbicide applications
to get rid of <br>
exotic plants? Be careful what you wish for! No court has ever
ruled in favor of ecosystems as plaintiffs. <br><br>
<i><u>Bob, the courts have not been very kind to the thousands of Enron
employees who had their pension <br>
funds sacked either. Don't hold up the judicial system as an
example of fair and wise.<br><br>
</u></i>This is a subjective notion and not science.<br><br>
<i><u>Another contact for you to consider:<br><br>
Finger Lakes Native Plant Society of Ithaca <br>
</u>
<a href="http://www.fingerlakesnativeplantsociety.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.fingerlakesnativeplantsociety.org/<br><br>
<br>
</a></i>Bob Beyfuss<br><br>
<i>Thanx<br><br>
Bill Stringer<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
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