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Native Habitats and Evolving Lawn and Landscape Cultures

Friday, October 3, 2008


Lawn Culture

Everyone loves a beautiful, freshly cut green lawn, well, almost everyone. More and more people are moving away from the traditional large grass covered areas, opting instead to use more trees, shrubs, and other plants, and they are “going native” with the varieties.

I suspect that this trend will continue, as water use restrictions and environmental laws begin to effect the amount of water available for lawn use, and the allowable nutrient “run off” produced by traditional lawn care. Certain lawn nutrients may eventually be severely restricted, particularly the amount of phosphorous, due to it’s negative effects on lakes, ponds and waterways. Such restrictions are inevitable unless we learn to self regulate. It is only a matter of time.

Most of our traditional lawn grasses are not native, and therefore require extra water and nutrients to thrive. While they do produce oxygen and process water fairly efficiently, the extra nutrients, pesticides, and other excesses may make them a less practical practice than in the past.

Landscape Cultures

Traditional landscapes, with their heavy use of exotic plants, are also losing favor. Most of these non native plants require more water, more fertilizer, and more insecticides than their native counterpoints.

There is also a biodiversity issue involved. Who would have ever suspected that so many of the popular landscape plants from the middle of the last century would have taken on the role of environmental terrorists? The Japanese Silk tree, commonly called Mimosa, the Chinaberry, the Chinese Tallow, and a variety of Asian privets are now more prevalent in our woodlands, than in the home lawns where they were once used as landscape plants. Thought to be safe, and non invasive at the time, they have now become a serious threat to native biodiversity throughout the lower half of the country. Which of the currently popular exotics will become problems? It is hard to know, but just because they do not appear to be invasive now, does not mean that they won’t gain a foothold later.

Why is this a problem?

When invasive species gain a foothold in our forests and waters, they tend to eliminate the native competition, much of which is needed to support native wildlife. If a native plant preferred by pollinators disappears, the pollinator may move on. This gives the non native an even stronger foothold. It also means that the insects which pollinate food crops may be gone as well.

Studies have shown that the nutrient value of most of the non native species is less than that of the native varieties, particularly for native wildlife. As these exotics take over more and more territory, the native wildlife populations sometimes get hungry, and move on. These are just a couple of the hundreds of reasons why biodiversity should be considered when devising a landscape strategy. It is not just an issue in some remote forest or jungle, it is a problem on the home front as well.

The Native Alternatives

The fact is, that our traditional ways of dealing with our outdoor habitats are responsible for a number of environmental problems such as water quality and biodiversity, and over use of pesticides. With growing awareness of these effects, many are choosing to take a different path.

Native Habitats

Native habitats, or, backyard habitats, are viable alternatives to traditional lawns and landscapes. Rather than imposing our will on the environment, we simply allow the native environment to do what it does best, with our assistance. In the long run, there is less fertilizer, water, and pesticide needed. The native varieties are acclimated to the native environments, and native soils, and are resistant to native pests. After the initial installation or modification, there is much less labor involved. It is a cheaper, easier, more environmentally friendly form of landscaping.

Filed in Backyard habitat, Backyard habitat information, Biodiversity, Biodiversity and pest control, Environment, Exotic plants, Habitat, Habitat Management, Invasive plants, Landscapes, Lawns, Native habitat, Native landscapes, Native plants, Non native plants, Preserving biodiversity, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Environmental Services | Preserving Biodiversity

Sunday, September 28, 2008


Environmental Services | Preserving Biodiversity

One of the often overlooked areas of vegetation management, and it’s related environmental services, is it’s role in preserving the environment through preserving biodiversity. The biggest threat to our environment is the loss of native species, to species which are not native to our area. Good vegetation management practices help to keep our forests, lakes, and meadows native and diverse.

Major Cause: A smaller world

The world has become very small! International travel, the movement of people and goods from one place to another has made it so. Global travel has also made it possible for plants to move in and out of countries with relative ease. Many of these exotics find a new home, and some thrive beyond our normal abilities to control. If these plants, and often other life forms, are allowed to grow unchecked, they will eventually destroy all native vegetation in a region!

Biodiversity: Not just a rain forest issue.

Just as the destruction of large areas of forest lands in tropical areas destroys biodiversity in the area, the movement of some of these tropical plants into other countries can destroy the biodiversity of their new found home. Vegetation management has become a very important part of stopping this spread, and as the numbers escalate, will become even more important each day.

How this works.

In the world of physics, two objects can not occupy the same space and point in time. In the world of biology, the same rule holds true. One will gain dominance, and in the case of invasive exotic weeds and vines, one may dominate the entire ecosystem. When this occurs, the less competitive species may be completely eliminated from the environment and the area loses biodiversity.

Role of vegetation management.

The two major roles for vegetation managers are, the protection of the infrastructure, and preserving biodiversity.

Filed in Biodiversity, Biodiversity Services, Ecology, Environment, Environmental services, Exotic Vegetation Management, Green services, Infrastructure, Infrastructure management, Infrastructure services, Infrastucture, Preserving biodiversity, Vegetation management | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Infrastructure Services | Protecting Infrastructure

Sunday, September 28, 2008


Infrastructure Services | Protecting Infrastructure

What is infrastructure?

The Infrastructure is what we rely on to get the things we need to carry on business and daily life. It includes our transportation lines such as roadways, waterways, water supply, and rail lines, our industrial sites such as tank farms, and pole yards, and our utility lines, such as communication, and power transmission lines. In short it is the foundation on which our society functions!

The Invasive Nature Of Nature

Vegetation, contrary to our normal way of thinking, is not passive. It is extremely aggressive! If left untended in right of ways, it will encroach on asphalt and concrete roadways, and over time, make them disappear. Power and communication lines would be overgrown, grounded out, and brought down by trees and vines, and repairs would be next to impossible! Canals would become impassable, water delivery would be impeded. Modern life, as we know it, would come to an end!
Believe it or not, grass and weeds can eat asphalt and concrete! Trees can destroy power and communication lines, and even stop a speeding locomotive. Vines can climb poles and stop transmission of power and communication as well.

Lakes, rivers and canals can become clogged and impassable, water intakes for power plants, industry, and home use can become unusable, and all of this can be caused by uncontrolled vegetation. Uncontrolled vegetative growth uses inordinately high quantities of water and nutrients in farm and ranch lands, destroys crops, cattle range, and and reforestation. In many places, unmanaged vegetation is responsible for raging forest fires and other destruction of property and life, and provides a habitat for other undesirable creatures. In short, vegetation without some form of human intervention, destroys our infrastructure.

The need for vegetation management

Every right of way, whether highway, railroad, pipeline, electric delivery line, communications line, canal, and commercial waterway needs this service to get the things we need to our homes and places of work. Without this service, our asphalt roads would crumble, our power lines would be downed, and our communication would come to a grinding halt. Every major system in the United States would eventually fail! The two major roles for vegetation managers are, the protection of the infrastructure, and preserving biodiversity.

Filed in Biodiversity Services, Environment, Infrastructure management, Infrastructure services, Infrastucture, Preserving biodiversity, Vegetation management | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Value of Natural Biodiversity Services

Sunday, September 28, 2008



Biodiversity can seem to be a complicated issue. The seeming complexity can be furthered by oversimplification leading to misunderstanding at one point, and the exaggeration of the complexity at another. Nowhere is this more evident than in the valuation of biodiversity services.

Biodiversity services, that is, natural biodiversity services as opposed to human efforts to control aspects of the environment, are the services that nature in a given location supplies to itself. Included are such things as pollination, soil replacement, self fertilization, microbial activities for self composting, planting, and the self production of self sustaining fungal activities to name only a few. These activities themselves are dependent on the continued biodiversity of a given region. They are self sustaining only as long as each element in the environment remains intact, and productive.

Placing values on services provided by nature

Much is now being written on the valuation of the services, that is, the pricing of the services that nature naturally provides in sustaining itself, and the value it provides with regard to the effect of it’s continuation, or loss on the lives and productivity of human beings.

Following are a few of the elements that should be considered in this valuation:

  • Food production benefits of preserving natural biodiversity services

As an example, consider that new crops for food production are being discovered on a fairly regular basis, and this needs to continue in order to meet growing global demands for food, and changing global climatic conditions. These are lessons that humans should have learned during the little ice age. As weather conditions change, crop viability changes as well, longer winters mean shorter growing seasons, requiring food crops which can be grown and harvested within those limitations.

  • Biomedical benefits of preserving natural biodiversity services

Other considerations are such things as biomedical research. How do we place a specific value on a thousand acres of pristine forest with regard to the potential discovery of new material of value to human beings as it relates to human health, or discoveries of value to industry? This also reaches into the area of human health on other levels. A decrease in the numbers and varieties of available species to host a pathogen, may cause the pathogen to mutate in order to survive in another species, and a decrease in biodiversity may mean a decrease in the predators available to destroy disease carrying insects and vermin.

  • Pest Control benefits of preserving biodiversity services

Preserving species has a direct impact on insect populations. It has been determined that 99% of crop destroying, and disease carrying insects can be controlled by natural predations, by such normal biological controls as birds and bats. This service, that nature provides free of charge, can be adversely altered by severe changes in a regions biodiversity.

  • Shade and evapotranspiration which also helps to preserves local climates through water cycling.

The earths vegetation uses vast amounts of water, which are then transpired through foliage, and evaporate back into the atmosphere. This not only purifies the water, and cools the region, it also has an effect on regional weather patterns, some of which are needed for the local environments continued health and production.

  • Water and air filtration.

We all know that plants “breathe” carbon dioxide, and “exhale” oxygen and water. Vegetation is our most efficient air scrubber, cleansing the air that is needed to support animal life, and storing away carbon.

  • Breaking down of waste products and production of soil nutrients

The necessary ingredients for breaking down plant and animal wastes exist in abundance in nature, and are needed for continued soil nutrient production, as well as soil stability.

  • Erosion control

The control of erosion on the planet is largely a function of plant life. Both the tops and the roots of vegetation prevent water from washing soil away. The quantity of rainfall on the earth each year is so high, that it could completely cover the worlds entire landmass. Regional vegetation is the most efficient control for the erosion that this huge quantity of water would otherwise cause.

  • Crop and forest pollination

Both the pollen that is needed for pollinating crops and forests, and the creatures needed for performing the pollination are produced as a result of biodiversity. This process is necessary for the sustainability of crops and continuation of of the process. When invasive vegetation destroys the biodiversity of a region, the native pollinators may decide to leave the region to seek more appropriate vegetation.

  • Replanting and plant migration

The diffusion of a plant species from an area of greater concentration, where it has less chance of getting the sunlight needed to grow to maturity, to an area of lesser concentration, where it can become established, to a great extent depends on the diverse animal life present. Mammals and birds in particular, help to spread seed to new locations. If the area lacks the diversity needed to maintain such species, they will move on. This, then leaves the plant species with little means of locomotion aside from wind and water.

  • The value of nature for natural beauty

This is one of the truly undervalued aspects of the service that nature provides. It may be a little ethereal,  but it is important psychologically. Imagine a world without it!

Sustaining sustainability

The primary concern should be the continuation of these services, without which all other potential gains are lost.

Preserving biodiversity for advancing science.

There are more reasons for preserving regional biodiversity than for discovering new medications and food crops. Even on this account, there is more than what we can glean at the present. Looking into the future, and the way that various localized species interact and evolve in a given set of parameters such as physical location, and micro climates, has much to offer. The current tools for scientific investigation, are themselves evolving, and as they evolve, supplying a consistent, purely native setting to study is very important.

In our quest for new and practical genetic material of interest, we need to remember the fact that if these areas do not remain stable in their biodiversity, future benefits will be lost. After all, what good would further advances in scientific methods do, if there were nothing left to study?

  • From a practical stand point, what we must do, is identify the problems. In our ecosystem in the Southern United States, that will be invasive exotic species.
  • We must Isolate the problem to prevent any further spread.
  • We must eradicate the problem using the most effective means, with the least impact to the rest of the habitat.
  • We must prevent future infestations.

Biodiversity services for preserving natural biodiversity services

Filed in Biodiversity Services, Biodiversity and pest control, Ecology, Environment, Environmental services, Exotic Vegetation Management, Exotic plant migration, Exotic plants, Green services, Invasive species, Native habitat, Natural biodiversity services, Nature, Pest control, Preserving biodiversity, Valuing biodiversity services | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Biodiversity Services

Sunday, September 21, 2008


Biodiversity Services

Preserving biodiversity may be the major ecological and environmental issue of this century. Whether it is in the worlds rainforest regions, the Pacific Islands, Europe, Asia, Africa, or right here on the North American continent, in East Texas. Any species that cannot continue to exist due to fire, chainsaw, or even other, invasive plants, has the potential to have a major impact, both now, and far into the future. This is one of the few occasions where thinking globally, and acting locally, are the same thing! All biodiversity is local.

Large scale biodiversity protection and preservation projects are different than smaller scale, even neighborhood level projects mainly in scope. Both types are desperately needed.  Local problems rarely stay local. They migrate much like the invasive exotics that sometimes cause them. Both the plants, and the problems move.

Often, drastic measures need to be taken to preserve local biodiversity. This involves the identification of invasive exotic species, and the elimination of such species to preserve the local biodiversity. We provide biodiversity services for this reason.

Our biodiversity services include the identification and elimination of non native exotic species, and revegetation with appropriate species if desired. We offer both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity services, ranging from small backyard habitats, to much larger commercial projects.

These services are provided for commercial and residential clients.

Filed in Biodiversity, Biodiversity Services, Ecology, Environment, Environmental services, Green services, Habitat Management, Non native plants | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Backyard Habitat Help

Monday, September 15, 2008


Backyard Habitat Help

Backyard habitats can be great for the environment, for the entertainment and education of children and adults, for the control of unwanted insect predators like mosquitoes, and for many other less tangible reasons.

Most of the work can be done by the motivated homeowner, but sometimes a little help is needed. we have many pages of information available here to help you, and we have lists of other backyard habitat help resources as well.

Beside these information resources, we also offer practical backyard habitat help for the homeowner when it is needed. We do this by offering consultation and help with identification of species, the elimination of unwanted species by the least drastic means, and we can help with design and construction when needed.

Not everyone who wants to do something good for wildlife, the environment, nature and the neighborhood, has the skills, the tools, the license, or the time to perform some of these tasks. If you find yourself in one of these situations, we will be glad to help you develop your own backyard wildlife habitat.

Our services are provided for those in the East Texas area.

Filed in Backyard habitat, Backyard habitat help, Backyard habitat information, Education, Environment, Habitat, Habitat Management, Nature, Pests, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

IKE Aftermath: Tree Damage and Mosquitoes What to Do

Saturday, September 13, 2008



As I write this, IKE is bearing down on East Texas, and appears to be headed right over us following a path almost directly relative to the Sabine river. If you live in this area, the chances are high that you will have some tree damage in the aftermath.

Broken limbs are not necessarily the end of your tree, neither are splits. There are some things that can be done, such as cabling and bolting. The trick to this is to get the damage and debris cleared, and make the repairs as soon as possible after the damage happens.

I mention this, because after such an event, most folks are so anxious to get back to normal, that they may miss the opportunity to do such repairs in the rush to get everything cleared away. If there is any doubt about the viability of an important tree on your property after the storm, it would be a good idea to get the opinion of a specialist before hacking it into brush and firewood.

After such an extreme weather event chain saw hackers abound who are trying to make a few bucks providing a needed service. Just make sure that they don’t hack up something you might regret losing in the long run!

Another part of the aftermath of such a storm is mosquito infestation. A good source for information on such issues is Bugs and Weeds, a site dedicated to pest prevention. There is a lot of practical information on this site, and a new post on the Bugs and Weeds blog on this issue in particular.

Filed in Damaged trees, Mosquitoes, Storm damage, Tree damage, Tree repair, Trees | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

East Texas Tree Care Services

Monday, September 8, 2008


Burns Environmental East Texas Tree Care Services

Trees are one of our greatest assets in East Texas. They provide shelter for birds and other wildlife, and shade for us and our homes from the scorching Texas heat. Healthy trees also provide added dollar value to your real estate.

Tree Damage

Construction, and other activities, can cause compaction, slowing the availability of air, water and nutrients to the roots. Construction damage to the trees roots, trunk, and limbs can invite water, fungus, insects, and disease into the tree causing them to rot and die prematurely.

This process can take several years before the symptoms show up. In the mean time, valuable time for rehabilitation is lost. The sooner the problem is known and understood, the better the chances of survival for your trees!

Services

We offer tree care services in the East Texas service area to help repair the damage caused by construction and other activities.

  • Proper pruning to shut down the ports of entry for water, disease and insects
  • Repair for damaged trunks and limbs.
  • Nutrient injections into the root zone which provide air, water, and nutrients to get to the place where they are available for uptake by your trees roots.
  • Systemic insecticide treatment.
  • Insecticide treatments for the insects already present.
Filed in Compaction, Tree care, Tree services, Trees | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Environmental Services |Exotic Vegetation Management

Sunday, September 7, 2008


Environmental Services: Exotic Vegetation Management

It’s a fact of life.

Plants move. They migrate from one area to another using a bewildering variety of locomotion methods. Sometimes they travel by hitch hiking on people or animals, sometimes by wind or water, but travel they do.

If there is an invasive plant in your area, the chances are pretty high, that you will have it on your property eventually. If you are trying to manage a habitat, like a garden, a backyard habitat, or a lake, pond or stream, or even a deer lease, you will eventually have to deal with them. The more you learn about them, and how to deal with them, the better off you will be.

When exotic plants enter an area, they may alter the environment of the area so much that things become unbalanced. This can occur when the invader takes over an area occupied by a plant that one form of wildlife uses for food or cover. When this happens, the native plant may disappear, and the animals that use them for food may disappear as well. Other plants and animals may be in some way dependent upon the animal that disappears, and consequently remove themselves as well.

This chain reaction can work its way through a local environment pretty quickly, or it may take years. More subtle forms of the same scenario, dealing with microbial and fungal activity may be at work as well. In some cases, the damage may be almost irreversible.

How can you prevent this?

Observation can be an effective means of preventing the problem. To stop any potential problem, or to eliminate it early, you have to know that the problem exists. Some exotics can stay hidden for a while, so checking the area fairly often will give the earliest detection.

Once you find something out of the ordinary, you should properly identify it, and if it is an invasive exotic, take immediate action!

Infestations, and multiple sightings may require some drastic measures to prevent the elimination of some or all of the native species, so you should know what you grow.

We offer identification of non native species and treatments designed to eliminate them.

Filed in Biodiversity, Biodiversity Services, Environmental services, Exotic Vegetation Management, Exotic plant migration, Exotic plants, Green services, Habitat, Habitat Management, Invasive plants, Invasive species, Native habitat, Native plants, Non native plants, Wildlife habitat | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

East Texas Environmental Services | Pests and Predators

Saturday, September 6, 2008


Tyler East Texas Environmental Services: Pests and Predators

Even in the best of habitats, unwanted insects and predators can become a problem. Although a well constructed, well managed habitat, using best practices will lower the chances of unwanted infestations, they do sometimes happen. For such cases, we offer pest prevention information, and services as well as botanical pest control. When our prevention methods and botanical pest control services are used, they combine to provide the most effective, “greenest” pest control in the industry.

It is the nature of nature and wildlife, predators will occasionally want to invade your territory. For that reason we offer predator control.

For those cases when chemical pest control may be needed, we offer carefully aimed, precisely targeted, single case, chemical pest applications, with limited environmental impact from a company that knows the environment, and cares about it’s long term well being, and your health.

For gopher control in East Texas see Gopher Control

Environmental services available Tyler East Texas service area.

Filed in Backyard habitat, Biodiversity Services, Bugs and weeds, Environmental services, Green pest control, Native habitat, Pests, Predators | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)