[MPWG] Question of the month: Invasives removal amidst harvestablemedicinals
Center for Sustainable Resources
sustainableresources at hotmail.com
Thu Jul 1 22:48:08 CDT 2004
Hello Patricia, I have commented on this issue before so I will do it one
more time for those who may still be sane.
Problems with weeds are not problems within themselves but symptoms of much
deeper problems.
Attempting to kill and eradicate certain species may be a feel good kind of
action for some but does not address the root cause. As for stilt grass I
don't understand why anyone would be worried about it. As for "invasives"
that is a silly term. Plants and animals have always moved around the planet
as things change. This plant is no different.
As for the use of roundup, it is simply another reductionist strategy which
will in do time make such problems worse. The problem is bare and weak soil
resulting from the same kind of decision making by man in the past. Using
something that kills plants does have the tendency to wreck soil structure
which is far more complicated than anyone can understand at this time. Wide
spread opportunistic weed spread is nothing more than the result of poor
decision making by those who have managed that land.
To address such problems requires a holistic approach first. Otherwise your
actions are bound to create more damage.
To exemplify what I am talking about lets look at multiflora rose. The
government and a massive number of individuals have spent millions and
millions of bucks trying to eradicate it for at least thirty years. Today
there is still more of it than when the attempt started because this narrow
focus only looked at killing something rather than how nature funtions in
wholes. If you remove the plant what will take it's place. If you worsen the
conditions maybe an even more tolerent weed. Here comes ailanthus and autumn
olive. Focusing on what you want in the space and what it needs is far more
productive.
It is all too similar to the kind of thinking we see from bearocracies and
city folk who tend to follow the leader. An example of this is the notion
that has been painted for years that farmers need to be sustainable. The
irony here is is that it is not rural folks that have the problem. It is the
city populations who need to be sustainable because they are completely
dependent on rural populations for their survival.
It is a good planet we have so no need to keep on detroying parts of it. It
is not a machine with changable parts. Nature knows best.
We have stilt grass here too left from logging jobs years back. I have
already noticed how it retreats in places where the animals have been run.
It simply can not compete with healthy desirable plants when the soil is
improved. Look to nature for an answer. Work with nature, not against
nature.
Fred Hays
>From: Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
>To: mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org
>Subject: [MPWG] Question of the month: Invasives removal amidst
>harvestablemedicinals
>Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 15:08:22 -0400
>
>Here's the first installment of what I hope will be a regular monthly
>affair - The Question of the Month. This month's question came about as a
>result of questions from you - the MPWG listserve!
>
>The Question:
>When plant invasions are beyond mechanical means of control (i.e. hand
>pulling), are there any chemical methods of control that can be used and
>still allow one to continue to harvest medicinals (or other plants for
>human consumption) or, better yet, to retain "organic" status?
>
>An Answer:
>You may recall recent e-mails over the MPWG listserve regarding Japanese
>Stilt Grass (JSG). Here is a summary of the information that was provided
>in that discussion.
>
> According to Marc Imlay (the Vice-President of the Maryland Native
>Plant
> Society and member of our sister working group the Alien Plant Working
> Group, with extensive experience in integrated pest management (IPM)),
> once an invasion is beyond control by mechanical means, 2% glyphosate
> (a.k.a is Roundup) is an alternative. Because 2% glyphosate is
> biodegradable, with a half-life of 25 days, it has been used by organic
> farmers. Following, is a brief discussion of Marc's observations and
> strategies in invasives removal using 2% gylphosate.
>
> Case Study: Japanese Stilt Grass
> Once mechanical means have been exhusted, "JSG is relatively easy to
> control. It is extremely sensitive to glyphosate, for example. We
> apply 2% glyphosate with virtually no impact on native plants because
>we
> use our solo 3 gallon backpack sprayer very slowly. We do not linger on
> each plant but we go very slowly and avoid the natives very easily
> (spray-to-glisten). Used this way, the chiemical does not migrate, and
> it biodegrades quickly. Most of the seed bank is gone by the third
>year
> and hand pulling becomes appropriate."
>
> Eradication in action?
> This excerpt is from actual field notes taken at an invasive
>eradication
> site.
>
> Japanese stilt grass - Microstegium vimineum
>
> Method. In areas where the stiltgrass had formed a monoculture, we
> used a 2% solution of RoundUp applied with a back pack sprayer, Used
> this way, RoundUp does not migrate, and it biodegrades quickly.
>Where
> the stiltgrass plants were mixed with native plants or adjacent to
> wetlands (about 5% of the population), volunteers hand-pulled the
> stiltgrass. We apply 2 % glyphosate with virtually no impact on
> native plants because we use our solo 3 gallon backpack sprayer very
> slowly. We do not linger on each plant but we go very slowly and
> avoid the natives very easily (spray-to-glisten). Sprayers are
> taught to recognize native plants first. We control stiltgrass
>before
> seed is produced and check the following year for results in May or
> June, as opposed to August or September, because individual stems
> will grow to expand into the available space and Japanese stilt
>grass
> reqrowth from the seed bank will appear to be more extensive than is
> actually the case.
>
>Summary:
>This is not intended to be THE solution - it is an approach to the problem.
>Before beginning any eradication program, please educate yourself about the
>"problem" and the options. Learn about the invasive species in question.
>Connect with local expertise. Understand the ecosystem in which you are
>working. Get information on the variety of control mechanisms that are at
>your disposal and the effect that they have on the ecosystem. Here are
>some links to get you started...
>
>
>Alien Plant Working Group (APWG) Website at: www.nps.gov/plants/alien
>
>
> Part of the Plant Conservation Alliance, APWG's site provides
> information for the general public, land managers, researchers, and
> others on the serious threat and impacts of invasive alien (exotic,
> non-native) plants to the native flora, fauna, and natural
> ecosystems of the United States. Their "Weeds Gone Wild: Alien
> Plant Invaders of Natural Areas" provides a compiled national list
> of invasive plants infesting natural areas throughout the U.S.,
> background information on the problem of invasive species,
> illustrated fact sheets that include plant descriptions, native
> range, distribution and habitat in the U.S., management options,
> suggested alternative native plants, and other information, and
> selected links to relevant people and organizations. Check out the
> Fact Sheet on Japanese Stilt Grass at:
> http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/mivi1.htm
> Ways to get involved in APWG!
> write an invasives fact sheet (
> http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/list/authorinfo.htm), or
> join their listserve (
> http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/maillist.htm)
>
>
>
>
>The IUCN-Invasive Species Specialist Group at: www.invasives.org
>
> The Invasive Species Specialist
> Group (ISSG) is part of the
> Species Survival Commission (SSC)
> of The World Conservation Union
> (IUCN). The ISSG is a global
> group of 146 scientific and
> policy experts on invasive
> species from 41 countries.
> Membership is by invitation from
> the group chair, but everyone's
> participation in the discussion
> on invasives is encouraged. In
> addition, to its headquarters in
> Auckland, New Zealand, ISSG has
> three regional sections in North
> America, Europe, and South Asia.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Restoration Working Group (RWG) Website at: www.nps.gov/plants/restore
>
> The mission of the Plant Conservation Alliance's Restoration Working
> Group (RWG) is to facilitate the implementation of numerous successful
> restoration projects throughout the country. RWG has developed action
> items in the areas of Federal Policies and Guidelines, Funding,
> Research, Resources, Prevention, and Public Outreach.
>
>
> National Park Service Exotic Plant Management
> Teams at: www.nature.nps.gov/biology/invasive
> species/
>
>
> Exotic plants infest approximately 2.6
> million acres in the national parks.
> Invasive animals are affecting 234 parks.
> "Control of exotic species is one of the
> most significant land management issues
> facing national parks." Seventeen Exotic
> Plant Mangement Teams have been deployed
> throughout the U.S. to combat exotic plant
> invasions in the national park system.
>
>
> Native Plant Societies at:
> michbotclub.org/links/native_plant_society.htm
>
>
>
>
> Native plant societies are a great source of information and volunteers
> (for pulls). This link provides a pretty comprehensive list of Native
> Plant Societies in the U.S. and Canada. Join one near you!
>
>
>Glyphosate Fact Sheets:
>
>
> Environmental Protection Agency Consumer Factsheet on GLYPHOSATE
>
>
>
>www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/dw_contamfs/glyphosa.html
>
>
> Glyphosate Pesticide Fact Sheet Prepared for the U.S. Department of
> Agriculture, Forest Service by Information Ventures, Inc.
>infoventures.com/e-hlth/pestcide/glyphos.html
>
>
>Send me your ideas!
>Please send me any suggestions for future topics - be sure to indicate
>whether you can actually assist in "investigating" the topic. Topics
>should relate to native medicinals (with some leeway) and should be
>thought-provoking and, at the very least, informative! We have an idea in
>mind for August - otherwise, the calendar is wide open. Send ideas to
><Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov>.
>
>- - - - -
>
>Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
>Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
>Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
>US Fish & Wildlife Service
>4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
>Arlington, VA 22203
>703-358-1708 x1753
>FAX: 703-358-2276
>Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
>resources.
><www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>MPWG mailing list
>MPWG at lists.plantconservation.org
>http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org
>
>To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to MPWG-request at lists.plantconservation.org
>with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
>
>Disclaimer
>Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc.
>reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The
>information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a
>substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific
>medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information
>that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the
>individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not
>reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation
>Alliance.
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Life Events gives you the tips and tools to handle the turning points in
your life. http://lifeevents.msn.com
More information about the MPWG
mailing list