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Hi Robin<br>
I sympathize with your efforts to deal with these nasty weeds! I suspect
that your local deer population has grown to a level where all the native
plants have been consumed. One definition of an invasive plant in a
forested environment is "any plant that deer don't eat".
Plant scientists need to work with other Natural Resources Managers to
consider issues like the impact of native critters such as white tailed
deer on native plant populations. I sprayed some multiflora rose on my
property with herbicide which killed it but it was soon replaced by
poison ivy! I then spayed the poison ivy with herbicide and it died right
where I had sprayed but new poison ivy plants sprung up many meters away.
In the exact spot that formerly had multiflora rose followed by poison
ivy a path of garlic mustard has appeared! I am now wishing I had
left the multiflora rose alone and just learned to live with it! <br>
<br>
Farmers have been dealing with noxious weeds forever. American farmers
will spend close to a billion dollars this year alone on herbicides. I
will never say that noxious weeds are not a serious problem but my
approach to the problem is not to pass laws banning plants but educating
people on a grass roots level. Think global but act local is an
overused expression but quite applicable in this situation I think.
<br><br>
The town I live in in rural upstate NY is typical of many towns in
America. We have 60 miles of town road. At a leisurely stroll of 2 miles
per hour, one single highway department employee can walk the entire
town's roads in 30 hours. If that one person is trained to recognize
noxious weeds and is licensed to kill them (i.e. a certified pesticide
applicator) by flaming or some other means and I surely would not rule
out applying herbicides, think of the impact that could have in
preventing these roadside weeds from getting into the surrounding forest.
How much would it cost to train and hire that part time employee? For his
or her training plus the the week or two weeks of time it would take to
do this, maybe $1,000? I calculated the cost of the salaries of a
group of Natural Resource professionals who attended a recent Invasive
Plant meeting and it came out to over $1,000 per hour. <br><br>
I love the Everglades National Park in Florida. It is a very beautiful
and special place. I have camped there for more than 30 years and over
these years I have watched their efforts to deal with noxious weeds that
have spread into the park. By utilizing a concerted effort and
reintroducing natural events such as fire, they have been very successful
in maintaining the ecosystem they have chosen to preserve. I think it
makes sense to target specific areas for protection. The smaller the
area, the more likely the chance of success. <br><br>
Ideally landowners would be taught to recognize and deal with weeds on
their own property but this is a formidable task. . <br><br>
At 10:16 AM 12/20/2006, MoonBranch Botanicals wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">All I know is that after 10 plus
years of pulling, yanking, cutting out, and becoming painfully entangled
in privet, oriental bittersweet, and multiflora rose I am ready to
strangle the party that introduced them. I can't speak for the rest of
the world, but here these plants grow into an impenetrable thicket
allowing nothing else to grow. Maybe if someone could find me a market
for these plants that would help, but right now they're in the way of the
plants I am growing for income on my farm and I am tired of spending long
hours just to rid my place of these nuisance plants that won't go
away.<br><br>
Robin<br><br>
<br>
<dl>
<dd>-----Original Message----- <br>
<dd>From: Bob Beyfuss <br>
<dd>Sent: Dec 19, 2006 5:40 PM <br>
<dd>To: Patricia_DeAngelis@fws.gov,
native-plants@lists.plantconservation.org,
apwg@lists.plantconservation.org, mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org,
rwg@lists.plantconservation.org <br>
<dd>Subject: Re: [MPWG] Electronic Public Discussion: Evaluating the
Invasive Potential of Imported Plants <br><br>
<dd>The concept of plants in themselves being capable of being
"invasive" is silly. It is attributing human qualities
(implying malice in this case) to unthinking organisms. Plants live,
grow, reproduce (some are very efficient at this) and die. New or
different plants do not displace established existing plants in healthy,
undisturbed ecosystems. Plants do not appear anywhere due to
"spontaneous generation". They are brought in by humans or
animals. They may colonize or become naturalized in (neither colonize nor
naturalize imply malice) areas less suited to so called
"native" species because human activity has allowed this to
happen. <br><br>
<dd>I am offended at the concept that "exotic" plants are
somehow inferior to "native" plants. Especially since 90% of my
diet and that of most of us is derived from"exotic" plants.
Demonizing "exotic" plants as "invasive exotic" is
inherently offensive . Which term is less offensive to you
"Invasive exotic" or "opportunistic colonizer"? Now
try to answer that question if you happen to be from the Middle east
(maybe Iraq), Asia or Africa or Europe and you hear or read an American
talking about "invasive exotic species". I am sure the people
in the middle east or anywhere else in the world must enjoy reading about
our efforts to "combat" (another wonderful term)
"invasive, exotic species". <br><br>
<dd>Personally I like the term "noxious weed" in which a weed
is defined as "an unwanted plant". By this definition a
"volunteer" (i.e. unplanted) soybean plant growing in a
corn field is a weed. A "noxious weed" is a particularly
undesirable weed. Why do we have to invent new terms that are as
offensive as "exotic invasive" or even worse "alien,
invasive"?<br><br>
<dd>What I find even more troubling is the knee jerk reaction to their
presence. Lets just kill all the bad plants we don't like anymore and
everything will be fine. First we gather all their names up and put them
on a list. Target these for extermination. Next we will make up more
lists of plants that "might" be "invasive" in the
future and ban them too. Here in NY State we already have county
executives issuing "executive decrees" banning the use of any
but "native" species in any future plantings on county
property. How dare they do this? Yet, this is a logical extension of the
current polices we are formulating. Why should we be denied daffodils,
daylillies, tulips or apple trees or Kentucky bluegrass (another exotic
import) because someone has decided that they are evil?
<br><br>
<dd>In the long run, and I must emphasize looking at the long run or the
big picture, every single environment on this planet will ultimately
determine what plant and animal species survives there, not some
bureaucrat in Washington with a pen making up lists of good versus bad
plants based on his or her opinion. This process is called natural
selection and it is constant. Black locust is OK in PA because it is
"native" but bad in NY because it is exotic? This is crazy. The
same species of Magnolias growing in China are identical to some of those
growing here. At one time there was one continent so what exactly is
"native" and why are "native" plants superior to Non
native? Are "native people, i.e. blue blooded Americans inherently
superior to immigrants because they were born here? How long must one be
here to be considered a "native"? <br>
<dd> <br>
<dd>Global warming will have a far more profound effect on plant species
and their distribution than some group of people spraying herbicides on
plants they don't like.<br><br>
<dd>An interesting research project along that line might be to study
exactly how plants are distributed and become established within any
given community. While highly paid administrators are forming
invasive plant councils, attending countless meetings and making
regulations, the local highway department employee (@ $10 per hour) is
transplanting garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed every time they move
the Grade-all machine from one place to another. The people picking up
garbage along the highway are also picking up weed seeds and moving them
down the road. All the campers, mountain bikers, hikers, 4 wheelers,
skiers, and other outdoor recreationist constantly introduce exotic stuff
into the environment. Should we pass regulations banning these
activities? No, it is much easier to blame the plants for the problems
and spray them with herbicides. Or is it?<br><br>
<dd>I recently spoke with the local Executive Director of the Nature
Conservancy for the Catskill Mountain region and he estimated that he
could easily spend 90% or more of their total annual operating budget
trying to eradicate only garlic mustard and only from roadsides in this
region and the net result would be that it would be required to do this
every year indefinitely with no chance of eradication at all. Is this a
good use of our limited resources? Good organizations like Ohio's Rural
Action Network are forced to rescue plants from proposed new highways
which soon will have their shoulders colonized by "exotic, invasive
plants". So, should we ban the building of new highways or prohibit
logging or timber harvest because of the inevitable consequences? Maybe
we should ban all imports of all exotic plants or better yet prohibit
cultivation of all but native plants! Or do we proceed as carefully as
possible with these projects and realize that there will surely be
unwanted consequences as a result?.<br><br>
<dd>Most of the plants now considered as evil, invasive exotic species
were introduced for some very good reasons and many of them are still
great choices for many situations. If not for Norway maple there would be
no street trees in some stressed locations. Like the soybean plant in the
cornfield, one situation's weed is another situations wildflower.
Black locust is a wonderful alternative to CCA pressure treated wood,
many, many species of songbirds feast on the berries of the exotic
honeysuckles, Autumn and Russian olive, bittersweet, barberry, multiflora
rose, and on and on. <br><br>
<dd>I don't like the idea of banning books, banning plants or banning
anything because it is politically correct. All this talk about
"combating invasive exotics" and the connotations of this
language makes me very nervous. We are already engaged in far too many
wars for our own good and for the good of our planet. <br><br>
<dd>Thanks for reading. <br>
<dd>Bob Beyfuss<br><br>
<dd>At 11:20 AM 12/13/2006, Patricia_DeAngelis@fws.gov wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<dd>Excuse the cross-postings but it looks like there is something in
this for everyone! <br><br>
<dd>This discussion is already underway! A summary of the purpose
and how you can participate is below. To see the full notice, see:
<a href="http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-18768.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-18768.htm</a>
<br><br>
<dd><font size=2>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
</font><br><br>
<dd><tt>SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant
Health <br>
<dd>Inspection Service (APHIS) is hosting an electronic public discussion
<br>
<dd>on methods that can be used to evaluate the potential of imported
<br>
<dd>plants to become invasive species if they are introduced into the
<br>
<dd>United States. Any interested person can register for the electronic
<br>
<dd>discussion, which will allow participants to upload files and
interact <br>
<dd>with other participants and with APHIS staff.<br>
</tt><br>
<dd><tt>DATES: The electronic public discussion will be held from
November 27, <br>
<dd>2006 to January 26, 2007.<br><br>
<dd>FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Polly Lehtonen, Senior Staff
<br>
<dd>Officer, Commodity Import Analysis and Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700
<br>
<dd>River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-8758.<br>
</tt><br>
<dd><tt>QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION: We would like participants in the
</tt><br>
<dd><tt>electronic discussion to specifically address the following six
questions, </tt><br>
<dd><tt>although general comments on the issue of evaluating invasiveness
will </tt><br>
<dd><tt>be accepted as well.<br>
<dd> 1. What criteria, other than whether the plant has a
history of <br>
<dd>invasiveness elsewhere, are most useful to determine the invasiveness
<br>
<dd>of a plant introduced into the United States for the first time?<br>
<dd> 2. When there is little or no existing scientific
literature or <br>
<dd>other information describing the invasiveness of a plant species, how
<br>
<dd>much should we extrapolate from information on congeners (other
species <br>
<dd>within the same genus)?<br>
<dd> 3. What specific scientific experiments should be
conducted to best <br>
<dd>evaluate a plant's invasive potential? Should these experiments be
<br>
<dd>conducted in a foreign area, in the United States, or both?<br>
<dd> 4. How should the results of such experiments be
interpreted? <br>
<dd>Specifically, what results should be interpreted as providing <br>
<dd>conclusive information for a regulatory decision?<br>
<dd> 5. If field trials are necessary to determine the
invasive <br>
<dd>potential of a plant, under what conditions should the research be
<br>
<dd>conducted to prevent the escape of the plant into the
environment?<br>
<dd> 6. What models or techniques are being used by the
nursery <br>
<dd>industry, weed scientists, seed companies, botanical gardens, and
<br>
<dd>others to screen plants that have not yet been widely introduced into
<br>
<dd>the United States for invasiveness? What species have been rejected
by <br>
<dd>these evaluators as a result of the use of these evaluation
methods?<br>
</tt><br>
<dd><tt>ACCESSING THE ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION:<br>
<dd> While anyone can access the discussion and read the
comments, <br>
<dd>registration is required in order to participate in the discussion.
You <br>
<dd>will be asked to register at the time you post your comment.
Participants </tt><br>
<dd><tt>will be required to enter their name and e-mail address.
Affiliation and </tt><br>
<dd><tt>mailing address are optional. Only the participant names will be
publicly displayed. </tt><br><br>
<dd><tt>The discussion will be accessible through a link on Plant
Protection and <br>
<dd>Quarantine's Web page for the nursery stock revision,
<a href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/Q37/revision.html">
<font face="Courier New, Courier" color="#0000FF">
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/Q37/revision.html</a></font>.<br><br>
</tt>
<dd>_______________________________________________<br>
<dd>PCA's Medicinal Plant Working Group mailing list<br>
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<dd>
<br>
<dd>
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<br>
<dd>Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc.
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</blockquote><br>
</dl><br>
<pre>
Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
5294 Yellow Creek Road
Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
USA
Telephone: 828.479.2788
moonbranch@earthlink.net
<a href="http://www.moonbranch.com/" eudora="autourl">
www.moonbranch.com</a>
Member:
American Herbalist Guild
Co-op America
Green Products Alliance
National Network of Forest Practitioners
North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
North Carolina Natural Products Association
Southwestern North Carolina RC&D Council
United Plant Savers
"We have no choice but to respect that which sustains
us."</pre><font face="Courier New, Courier"></font></blockquote>
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