Native species

Increasingly in the woods I notice all the trash species that have invaded the woods through global commerce and movement of people some accidentally and some purposefully but all beyond the reasonable control of humans – the invasive species, the nuisance weeds.

I just got finished reading a book about invasives and the importance of restoring native species which local ecosystems have had millennium to adapt to. Invasives and non-native species from other parts of the world find a niche and work their way into the ecosystem but almost never provide the same level of integrated services to the ecosystem that native species provide.

When I own my own land, I think removing invasive species would be a priority – and restoring native species. There are many tools one could use but goats, hogs and fire would be my preferred option. Turn invasives into food and warmth and enjoyment. While potentially doing a controlled burn of the landscape may or may not be possible, certainly bonfires burning debris certainly are. Manure restores vital fertility to the land while producing food. Some invasive and otherwise undesirable trees like black locus make excellent firewood. Bringing in native plants and wildflowers and learning what they need to grow would be a fun challenge.

Getting rid of invasive species doesn’t mean no other use of the land. It doesn’t mean you can’t have quads or burn trash. You can enjoy riding through your fields and watching goats browse through the Japanese Knotweed and Multiflora Rose. Livestock can be key and you can still garden and use part of your land for solar. All while watching more nature, more birds, frogs and salamanders come back to the landscape. I’m not opposed to the use of pesticides, synthetic products or even occasionally burning that bit of plastic but I want to do it thoughtfully as I build a meaningful healthy landscape.