Thread devoted to kudzu!

erosion on a MASSIVE SCALE!

truth is that is the reason it was planted in most places .

 

next time you are near that patch where you are can you take some pics of it close up for us hhb?

 

but your acting as if tens of thousands of acres for miles and miles are covered with the stuff and that simply is not the case. i dare say ive never saw a patch bigger than maybe 25 acres.

it has its own natural limits on its spread. its here,embrace it and utilize it,live with it dont fight it.

 

i will indeed do that just to show you how it just decides to stop taking over a area on its own..

dunno when we are going out again though,we just went to town day before yesterday. it may be a month..


no seriously,,it may..

 

http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2008/04/23/what-is-a-healthy-ecosystem/

Healthy ecosystem : an ecosystem in which structure and functions allow the maintenanceof biodiversity, biotic integrity and ecological processes over time. [Ministry of Forests -- Government of British Columbia]

Perhaps you have heard of the term micro ecosystem? These can be unique plots of land filled with literally one of a kind species. They can be either caves, ponds, or even a side of a hill. They can be large 100 acre plots or a tiny 5 acres.

It doesn't matter the size of the land, you can not deny that Kudzu is destroying ecosystems and without the constant battle that is taking place, it is possible that Kudzu takes over the areas completely, whether you choose to accept the fact or not.

This is true, but why was there erosion in the first place? Perhaps the removal of natural plants. Which is why Kudzu still has its purpose, but it is very costly for cities to pay for it to be tamed.

Keep in mind, though, that erosion is a natural process and should it occur within its natural parameters, it should be allowed to do so - as long as it is not endangering human life. (Mudslides)


Oh and when I said 1-2" a day, I was wrong, I'm sorry. 1 FOOT per day

 

truth is it doesnt completely take over,many plants live in it. i should take a picture next spring and show you all the wildflowers that bloom in it..

i dont think any of these folks who are writing the stuff your producing have spent much time around kudzu quite frankly..

 

Problem is, flowers are only a small portion of an ecosystem and often aren't as beneficial as trees, which are great targets for Kudzu...

I'm not arguing whether or not Kudzu can have its uses, as it definitely does. It is also an extreme problem when it is not taken care of.

 

so people need to quit looking at it as a weed and look at it for what it is a very valuable plant and utilize it as such then they wont have to worry about keeping it in check..

geeze i dont see why that is so hard for the folks writing this shit to comprehend.

 

...they are trying to utilize it as a useful plant. but the costs are somewhat outweighing the benefits...

saying something about comprehension, i think you should shine a light on your own. seriously man, i don't understand how you can think it is in any way good for biodiversity, and in turn healthy ecosystems

 

This thread was the first I heard of kudzu. Looking at the pictures that were posted so far, all I can say is that although the bio-diversity of those areas may be comprimised some, there is nothing unhealthy about those areas. They are lush and verdant.

As for the argument that if a disease comes along and wipes them all out, you have been arguing that you want to be that disease???

Once the plants are there and established, you will do much more harm to the area by 'wiping them out'.

 

once again, because i have lived with it and observed its part in the ecosystem for 20 years up close and personal.

 

That is the common misconception, that because there is life it is okay. If you've been reading you would see that it kills trees that provide niches for insects, birds and rodents. Without them, there is no place for those animals to live. They move on and end up crowding other areas which means lack of food, a boom in predators (which will end up killing more than necessary), and more roadkill.

Not true at all. The thing about human intervention is that we can replant, as I've been saying all along and what CONSERVATIONISTS are striving to do. With human help, we can plant trees and shrub strategically that nature wouldn't be able to do on its own, helping them grow more quickly and return to their natural balance - the critters will follow on their own.

Humans have lived with the world as a whole up close and personal for a few thousand years, doesn't mean we haven't successfully destroyed much of it through carelessness


I never really thought that conservation would be a subject to be argued for whether it is right or not...

 

Interesting info on the kudzu. Very informative!

 

i have spent my entire adult life striving to live in harmony with mother earth. I see balance with kudzu and its surroundings. it can and will coexist with native plants long after you and i are dead and gone.

i find it very hypocritical for so called conservationists to rail against kudzu when what humans do to the ecosystem in cities and suburbia is far more invasive and detrimental to mother earth than a plant that just happens to not belong..

 

this is to purp not hhb, just so theres no confusion.. lol

Well, personally, all I can say is that I think it is you that has a misconception.

We do not fix the interference of man in nature, by interfering more.

We let nature do what it has done best for millions of years, find its own balance. Every time we try to repair something like an invasive species, all we do is set the natural cycle from coming into balance for a longer period of time, thus increasing the damage already done.

The earth is a self nurturing system, if we let it be. Yes, some species will die, more will evolve, the cycle continues, until we do something to interrupt it with our lack of knowledge and sense.

 

qft

 

Conservationists are trying to return ecosystems back to normal. There are not many conservationists doing work in cities and suburbia because there are too many dumb people that wish to have their comforts of a nice green lawn (which I agree with you is not natural in any way and is damaging in places like arizona, where thousands of gallons of water are being pumped into the MIDDLE OF A DESERT so that someone can have a green lawn - causing more humidity in the area than ever before recorded)

You are assuming a lot about conservationism, along with Tom. The fact of the matter is that Kudzu IS invasive, and it kills natural habitats. It is NOT natural in our ecosystem, as we have brought it in ourselves. It is hypocritical of YOU to say that we need to let it be because we shouldn't mess with nature....you can't ignore the history.

I'm sorry, but that is wrong. Read up on conservation, you'll see. As a conservationist, I want to see the DIVERSITY of plants and animals succeed. By introducing Kudzu and then letting it grow rampant is exactly the opposite of the goal (your goal too)

If we were to vanish all of a sudden, wildlife would become immediately less diverse (not including ourselves) due to the shit we have already done. Conservation is like a support system for the wildlife. Trust me, you do NOT want to see a single dominant plant species like Kudzu take over our forests.

The definition of an invasive species is exactly what upsets the balance of nature - which is why conservationists are seeking to get rid of them...I don't think you are getting that point. We cannot let them take over and hope for chance that it will balance itself, because this is the first time that we have noticed alien species due to OUR INTERVENTION OF INTRODUCING THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. Conservationism is trying to restore the balance of before the first aliens were introduced so as to continue the ecosystems unique flourishing evolution cycle - sans that species...

Again: it is hypocritical of YOU to say that we need to let it be because we shouldn't mess with nature....you can't ignore the history, we messed with nature in the first place by bringing it in. THAT is the problem and it can and is being solved.

 

well we will just have to agree to disagree.

i know what my 45 years living on this earth have taught me about nature and you know what youve learned in your time on earth. perhaps one day you will have spent enough time striving to be a caretaker of mother earth and living lightly on her to see where i am coming from.

until then i guess we are at a stalemate.

 

Don't try to use age as a one upper on me...I will let this argument go, but let me have you know that I have grown up as a hunter, explorer of nature, and have been very interested in it within my entire 18 years. I have read much, and am very in tune.

I live as lightly as I am able to at this juncture in my life - perhaps less lightly than you, but that does not mean that I have not researched topics such as these intensively.

As a conservationist I am trying to find what is best for the earth. Look at the root word - conserve. I am conserving nature in its NATURAL habitat. I wish you would have read the articles I posted, as there is no room for argument on this topic. Alien species are dangerous, destructive, and overall BAD BAD BAD

 

lol, i highly doubt your carbon footprint and mine are even on the same planet..