Native Tree/Plant Plight

[Trout Maharishi]

They are growing wild everywhere now. They are presently in full bloom. I've cut several down for my neighbors. Imagine me with a chainsaw.

[Dougfish]

A shit tree, for sure.

[Yallerhammer]

Fuck a bradford pear. I kill seedlings on my land in SC every year. Except for the ones I graft into edible pears to feed deers. 

[Woolly Bugger]

US Forest Service buying 2,000 acres in Pownal, Stamford to expand Green Mountain National Forest



A towering American chestnut tree is among the new additions to the Green Mountain National Forest.


>>>The Green Mountain National Forest is expected to grow by 2,100 acres in Bennington County within the next year.

A conservation group is facilitating the U.S. Forest Service's purchase of three privately owned parcels of land in Pownal and Stamford, with the help of $2.1 million in congressional funding. 

The properties encompass forest lands that abut the Green Mountain National Forest — 688 acres in northeastern Pownal, 1,251 acres in central Stamford and 165 acres in eastern Stamford.

The Pownal land hosts a small crop of American chestnuts, of which there are very few mature specimens left. The Green Mountain integration could be useful in restoring the tree. And the parcels also have previously unmapped wetlands, which help absorb rainfall and promote flood protection.

https://vtdigger.org/2022/04/10/u-s-forest-service-buying-2000-acres-in-pownal-stamford-to-expand-green-mountain-national-forest/

[Woolly Bugger]

Bradford pear trees to be officially banned in SC by 2024

>>>Plant nursery owners are working to clear out their stock of Bradford pear trees before 2024 when they are officially banned in South Carolina. Experts are also encouraging homeowners to replace Bradford pear trees on their property with native trees if possible.

"They're a nuisance tree, very difficult to get rid of completely," said Davis Sanders, who works with the South Pleasantburg Nursery. "The pollen is highly allergenic and it has a very foul smell. There's really nothing good about that tree."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/bradford-pear-trees-to-be-officially-banned-in-sc-by-2024/ar-AAWKIMI?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a76f3541fc984c0fa10a0bb5ba077754

[Onslow]

That article doesn't address the matter sufficiently.  When Bradfords are planted between sidewalks and roads, or along sidewalks, they are a health hazard to all that walk by.  Old Bradfords tend to loose limbs whenever a front goes by. The wet wood and any breeze does the trick. I'm very surprised an infant has not been impaled or crushed on the street I live.  I eliminated the Bradfords at my street sidewalk in 2009.  Not only is there a limb hazard, but the trees will buckle sidewalks, destroy infrastructure.

What is even more retarded is the Willow oak trend that started about 30 years ago.  These damn behemoths are being planted as ornamentals in parking lots at Lowe's and other developments. Only a truly myopic, low knowledge person with misguided exuberance would make such a poor choice.  Some bozo planted some along a sidewalk on a nearby street, and the road and sidewalk are near destroyed. I hate an effing Willow oak. The leaves are the worst for clogging gutters.

Dogwood trees anybody?

[Onslow]

Screw periwinkle, English ivy, and crepe myrtles as well.  Once established, good luck getting rid of these.

 

[jwgnc]

Our invaders are multi-flora rose (M-F) and oriental bittersweet, which we call son of M-F.  They are the only plant species on our property that we treat with chemicals.

[Woolly Bugger]

Division of Forestry participating in American chestnut tree plantings

>>>OLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will plant 1,250 American chestnut trees this spring at Hocking State Forest and other ODNR-managed properties as part of a reforestation project to re-establish native American chestnut trees in partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF).

"The Ohio Division of Forestry is proud to partner with the American Chestnut Foundation as we attempt to restore the species across its native range," said Dan Balser, chief of the Ohio Division of Forestry. "We look forward to working together on this important field research project."



>>>Donated by TACF, 425 of the year-old seedlings will be planted at Hocking State Forest, with the remaining 825 divided among other ODNR properties. These seedlings are known as potentially blight resistant (PBR) chestnuts since they have been bred with the Chinese chestnut tree, which is highly resistant to the blight. These hybrid seedlings are fifteen-sixteenths American chestnut, bred to provide blight resistance while retaining the favorable properties of the native American species.

https://www.crescent-news.com/news/local_news/division-of-forestry-participating-in-american-chestnut-tree-plantings/article_e5796bdc-c57c-11ec-8ba1-3f653d2e2133.html

[Woolly Bugger]

'Plant out of hell' invading south Alabama, feds weigh using Asian insects to fight back

>>>In the battle against an invasive tree that's taking over the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, federal authorities are considering a new weapon: invasive insects.

State and federal wildlife agencies have tried blasting the invasive Chinese tallow tree with herbicide dropped from the air, in addition to using controlled burns, U.S. Marines with machetes, and brigades of volunteers to fight back the invasion.

But the proposal has drawn waves of opposition from a somewhat unlikely source: beekeepers.

More than 900 public comments were filed in response to the proposal in the U.S. Federal Register, including comments in opposition from the American Beekeepers Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, state and local beekeepers groups and hundreds of individual beekeepers who value the tallow tree because it is attractive to bees.

None of those controls seem to be working, and they're all very expensive, so the U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently evaluating a proposal to release two insects from Asia – a moth and a beetle -- that are natural predators for the tallow tree.

https://www.al.com/news/2022/05/plant-out-of-hell-invading-south-alabama-feds-weigh-using-asian-insects-to-fight-back.html


Tallow tree, or popcorn tree, Triadica sebifera, has been in our country since its inception, with none other than Ben
Franklin touting the virtues of this invasive tree. Like many invasive plants, it is often sold in nurseries and planted as an
ornamental for its bright red autumn foliage and striking spikes of small yellow flowers. Although many beekeepers esteem
the tallow tree as a wonderful honey plant, there are many native alternatives that you can plant instead to support bees.
Tallow tree can survive low-light conditions, establishing in healthy forests with little trouble. The fallen foliage of tallow
tree produces allelopathic chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants. With its rapid growth, tremendous output of
seed and chemical warfare with other plants, tallow tree turns healthy forests into monocultures

https://www.state.sc.us/forest/tallowtree.pdF



Chinese Tallow Tree
Also known as the Popcorn Tree, the Chinese Tallow Tree is one of the top 10 most invasive plants in Mississippi. Popcorn trees spread like wildfire, overtaking native vegetation, damaging wildlife habitats, and destroy nature's balance. Popcorn trees have distinct, heart-shaped leaves, dangling yellow flowers, and fruit that looks like popcorn.

https://www.mfc.ms.gov/forest-health/invasive-plants/chinese-tallow-tree/?msclkid=7442a499cf2e11ec8d52774986ffd824

[Onslow]

I can see why beekeepers would be very reluctant to support the removal of the Tallow tree. It is both simple, and complicated. Timing of food availability is everything when it comes to sustaining native pollinators such as a bumble bee, and possibly even the carpenter bee.  So many nectar sources have been nearly eliminated such as Sumac. One species of flower, or one bloom such as Tulip Poplar, Dutch clover can sustain our insect population for entire year.  Native pollinators are probably much more susceptible to dearth than honey bees since honey bees store food. The Tallow tree blooms at a time that is hugely beneficial not just to beekeepers, but to native pollinators.  If farmers, landowners are not willing to replace Tallow trees with the native Sumac, then the Tallow trees should be left alone.  The only other trees that bloom in June are Mimosa (non native), and the Sourwood.  I doubt the low country in Alabama has sourwood.  I doubt Dutch clover yields much in June in that part of the word.

Fact > Honeybees cannot pollinate blueberries without the help of carpenter and bumble bees.

[Mudwall Gatewood 3.0]

Fact > Honeybees cannot pollinate blueberries without the help of carpenter and bumble bees.

Fact?

Something to ponder

https://entomologytoday.org/2018/12/07/no-buzz-no-problem-study-shows-how-honey-bees-pollinate-blueberries/?msclkid=a2d3265ecf8e11ec81fdb32e303a3983


https://manukahoneyusa.com/honeybees-discover-new-ways-to-pollinate-blueberries/#:~:text=For%20blueberry%20plants%20specifically%2C%20honeybees%20can%E2%80%99t%20release%20pollen,release%20pollen%2C%20which%20honeybees%20cannot%20do%20while%20planted.?msclkid=a2d2f4b0cf8e11eca11cedfdb217a5fa

[Onslow]

Fact > Honeybees cannot pollinate blueberries without the help of carpenter and bumble bees.

Fact?

Something to ponder

https://entomologytoday.org/2018/12/07/no-buzz-no-problem-study-shows-how-honey-bees-pollinate-blueberries/?msclkid=a2d3265ecf8e11ec81fdb32e303a3983


https://manukahoneyusa.com/honeybees-discover-new-ways-to-pollinate-blueberries/#:~:text=For%20blueberry%20plants%20specifically%2C%20honeybees%20can%E2%80%99t%20release%20pollen,release%20pollen%2C%20which%20honeybees%20cannot%20do%20while%20planted.?msclkid=a2d2f4b0cf8e11eca11cedfdb217a5fa

Oregon has bumble bees and 2 species of Carpenter bees.  The state of Oregon rates bumble bees as the most important pollinator in the state.

 One of the articles fails to mention honeybees CANNOT reach the nectar in a blueberry flower UNLESS a carpenter bee, or a bumble bee, slices and drills a hole in the side of the flower FIRST.  This is due to the length of the proboscis being too short.

Yes, oversaturating a space with bees may enhance results, but like with most news today, half the facts are omitted.  This is pure bee industry propaganda.

The bumble bee absolutely adore the my native blueberry plants,  and they rarely receive visits from the honeybee.   I can assure you my blueberry plants are fully pollinated.

[Woolly Bugger]

ength of the proboscis being too shor

That's what she said!

[Woolly Bugger]

At Allen Farm, a Chestnut Forest Could Save Waterways


>>>Sometimes it is good to remember that when you live on an Island, intimacy with the water doesn't end when you step off the ferry.

Last week on Arbor Day, Mitchell Posin of the Allen Farm in Chilmark described his newest project: converting pasture to forest. The effort demonstrates how people working the land on the Island can make waterways healthier for their bivalve residents and all the species of ocean fish that venture inside them to breed.

"It's called silvopasture," Mr. Posin said. "It's thousands of years old."

This spring Mr. Posin is planting more than 100 chestnut trees on his property. He plans to turn sections of the Allen Farm's rolling oceanfront pastures into a forest underneath on which his animals can graze.

https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2022/05/05/allen-farm-chestnut-forest-could-save-waterways