[Magdalen] In the jungle

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Was in MI the last 2 weeks of August. Mostly visiting "up north" - what downstaters call points more than an hour or so north of where they live. ( yes I did have a culture clash when I moved to TX and discovered that phrase was a near-epithet here. LOL)
I visited areas on both NE and NW sides of the upper lower peninsula that had been drastically affected by a terrible hail storm in late July. Massive tree destruction. 1,000s of trees lost. Some entire stands planted with pine for future lumber harvesting were bent over as though one was looking at a field of wheat, temporary bent on a strong breeze. Unbelievable. Other stands were reduced to a pile of broke off trunks strewn like gigantic pick up sticks 

Lynn

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 7, 2015, at 11:44 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:



In a message dated 9/7/2015 12:27:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
charles.wohlers at verizon.net writes:

Haven't  seen pokeweed in Vermont. It does exist in Massachusetts, but 
isn't  
generally a problem. Now, Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose, OTOH  
...>>>>>>>>>>>>>


It's interesting to see what various states list for "invasive  trees".

Several US states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, list the
Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) as "invasive", the implication being
that such trees should be weeded out.

But why?  These pines are an attractive and long lived species
that are valuable for pulpwood, and if allowed to get large, for
construction.  They colonize abandoned fields, often those  stripped
by coal mining.  They prosper despite growing on rock and
gravel which they tolerate because of their supportive microrhiza.
The pines are not crowding out any native species. 

So let them invade!


David Strang.