----- Original Message ----- From: Liz Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2002 5:56 AM Subject: Wood chips
> Hi Robin > > I am interested in reading more about this. I could be way off track here, > but can't help but wonder if it may be a solution, or part of, to a large > problem we face in Australia. native tree regeneration is having a > difficult time, as the trees will not establish in some areas due to the > conventional farming that has gone on previously. As you can imagine it is > a fairly new problem, which only continues to grow at this point in time. > Originally I was thinking that leaf litter,(specific to that region) > including twigs were put back into these areas to aid the return of > necessary microorganisms, required by native trees. It was my uni that got > me going on this topic. > Thanks > > L&L > Liz > Hi Liz Are you open to alternative ideas on tree regeneration? First though we have to get rid of the sheep - all of em and permanently! sheep are number one enemy of regenerating trees so that while ever sheep have access to an area of pasture there will not be any useful growth of new trees. Rabbits are next worse and goats top the list if you want to get rid of trees that are already there. You have probably been heavily influenced by eucalyptus dieback in tableland areas, and I agree it is a serious problem. However just who was it decreed that all trees in the rural landscape must be natives? If you look around these areas you see there are numerous belts / clumps / patches of introduced species that are doing quite ok where the local natives are not up to it anymore. We have to admit that we have seriously modified the ecosystem in these fertile pasture regions, what with improved pasture varieties, higher chemical soil fertility, and a stock carrying capacity often many times that of natural grassland, why do we then persist with the idea that only the local native tree species should be there. When we make a garden we bring in decorative and useful species from all around the world, we modify the environment and change the soil conditions to grow what we want to be there, if we get it right we are blessed with abundant growth of healthy plants and critters large and small. Why not do this on a farm scale? instead of battling with the redundant locals? we have already modified the environment and changed the soil conditions - why not grow trees that are suitable for the new environment ? - if they happen to originate in Europe or North America why is that automatically seen as a problem? Just a few thoughts from an old rebel. Cheers Lloyd Charles
