I forgot to add that almost all the people who self-righteously and arrogantly talk about the many lives of plants and animals who should be killed for not being "native," are not native themselves, but are usually descended from European invaders to the Americas. That reminder can help reach those who care. I love how you and Nikki say that the problems attributed to the targeted trees and plants are caused by humans.
As I'm sure you know, the claims of encroachment are in relation to a baseline set *after* many many acres were cut. To say nothing of the fact that Pinyons have been shifting their native range for like 50,000 years already.
I remember taking a field biology class (southern Utah flora) in the mid-oughts in Cedar City, and on an outing, the professor came upon a tamarisk sapling and began to stomp on it. It seemed so wrong. But then he explained the (now discredited) mythos and so we all went around for the rest of the hike stomping on salt cedar. I also come from a family of Moab-based ranchers, so I grew up hearing about all the water the tamarisk were drawing from the Colorado—but it was usually couched in the rhetoric of government overreach (pointing a finger at the agencies that brought them in the first place). Of course, it never occurred to them that grazing on public lands was a whole other kind of government overreach. Anyway: long rant. But wanted to say how much I appreciate your analysis and work. Thanks for speaking for the trees!
I walked down that same riverwalk two years ago. Your photos felt like a gut punch. I appreciate the nuance you bring to the issues "invasives" and share you outrage. We can imagine the destruction will multiple under the current administration. Tree spikes, anyone?
Thank you for speaking on this topic. The conversation of invasive plants is very complex on both sides. It's devasting that they cleared the trees, only furthering the problem.
Thought-provoking piece! The same thing happened in my area. A woodland of large buckthorn trees disappeared within a week, replaced by various native seedlings. It's heartbreaking. Those buckthorn trees had been there for decades, providing shelter for wildlife. Are they really that bad? None of the volunteer buckthorn seedlings in our garden has matured into full trees, likely because it's surrounded by older trees (mostly 30-50 years old).
I forgot to add that almost all the people who self-righteously and arrogantly talk about the many lives of plants and animals who should be killed for not being "native," are not native themselves, but are usually descended from European invaders to the Americas. That reminder can help reach those who care. I love how you and Nikki say that the problems attributed to the targeted trees and plants are caused by humans.
Great piece Kollibri. Love and rage.
Thanks, Max. I figured you would appreciate those sentiments.
Definitely. It’s the same thing that’s happening to the Pinyon-Juniper forests. Travesty.
Yes the notorious "native invasives" <eye roll>
As I'm sure you know, the claims of encroachment are in relation to a baseline set *after* many many acres were cut. To say nothing of the fact that Pinyons have been shifting their native range for like 50,000 years already.
Yeah. Ronald Lanner cleared that up for me. But god forbid the agencies actually pay attention to one of the top PJ experts of the last century…
Yup. Shocking to see it from an airplane .
I remember taking a field biology class (southern Utah flora) in the mid-oughts in Cedar City, and on an outing, the professor came upon a tamarisk sapling and began to stomp on it. It seemed so wrong. But then he explained the (now discredited) mythos and so we all went around for the rest of the hike stomping on salt cedar. I also come from a family of Moab-based ranchers, so I grew up hearing about all the water the tamarisk were drawing from the Colorado—but it was usually couched in the rhetoric of government overreach (pointing a finger at the agencies that brought them in the first place). Of course, it never occurred to them that grazing on public lands was a whole other kind of government overreach. Anyway: long rant. But wanted to say how much I appreciate your analysis and work. Thanks for speaking for the trees!
I walked down that same riverwalk two years ago. Your photos felt like a gut punch. I appreciate the nuance you bring to the issues "invasives" and share you outrage. We can imagine the destruction will multiple under the current administration. Tree spikes, anyone?
Thank you for speaking on this topic. The conversation of invasive plants is very complex on both sides. It's devasting that they cleared the trees, only furthering the problem.
Thought-provoking piece! The same thing happened in my area. A woodland of large buckthorn trees disappeared within a week, replaced by various native seedlings. It's heartbreaking. Those buckthorn trees had been there for decades, providing shelter for wildlife. Are they really that bad? None of the volunteer buckthorn seedlings in our garden has matured into full trees, likely because it's surrounded by older trees (mostly 30-50 years old).