Ed, I agree with most of what you have said. However, hawthorns have a nearly unique branching habit that is wide spreading just a few feet above the ground, casting shade most of the day. Other taller and/or more upright trees only block sun briefly during mid-day. That being said, I have seen some cases of the vegetation change abruptly at the drip line of hawthorns, too. That suggests that the shade may have only a secondary influence.
Paul On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 4:52 PM, Edward Frank <[email protected]> wrote: > Paul, > > I have considered this. It is my impression that the hawthorns are > encroaching into the fields covered by the grass. I think that many of the > smaller hawthorns are younger than the age of the grass fields. Shade > intolerance could be a part of the effect I am seeing, but under other > scattered trees of other species that occur within or surround the grassy > areas the grass is growing underneath them without any of these visible > differences. The shade from these trees do not seem to be limiting the > growth of the grass. The grass does not seem to be affected noticeably by > the shade of these trees and the hawthorns are not any more foliage dense > than these other species. It is just under the hawthorns that I see this > effect. That is why I am think alleopathy rather than shade effects. > > Ed > > "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a monkey > every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of preserving > nature...I couldn't live with myself" - Professor Hubert Farnsworth > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Paul Jost <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Thursday, September 24, 2009 5:15 PM > *Subject:* [ENTS] Re: Alleopathy > > Ed, > > I wonder if those hawthorns predate the reed canary grass and if the reed > canary grass is too shade intolerant to grow underneath them? I've seen > similar effects with hawthorns over other grasses. > > Paul > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
