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.

JohnsonGrass was once thought to be good for cattle grazing

A changing landscape.

Large metropolitan areas are already seeing a migration, partially due to a new trend which allows people to have the same conveniences of city life, while living in more rural areas. The internet is making commuting less necessary, and shopping more convenient, even from distant locations. This trend is likely to continue for some time. Some experts expect a huge drop in urban property values to result. Just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse, there is another round of difficulties flying in to sting the already smarting beleaguered industry.

Public health and environmental concerns.

This time, it is a human health and environmental problem. The most recent, and immediate being one that is showing up in many places in California, and now hitting suburbia across the land. Foreclosed homes especially those with swimming pools, Koi ponds and other water features have to be maintained, or mosquitoes take over. The maintenance of such features can be expensive in terms of dollars and cents, but not maintaining them can be expensive in terms of human life.

Some areas have ordinances requiring the foreclosing entities to carry on such maintenance, but unfortunately, it is not always done. This leaves city and county health officials to deal with the mosquito problems which often turn into public health problems due to West Nile Virus and Malaria to name only a couple. This also translates into a fiscal problem, because someone has to pay for these services, even in areas where the crunch has caused a dwindling tax base, and that is us!

Rodents and insects.

Overgrown lawns, back lots, and other properties where brush and weeds are allowed to grow unchecked because of lack of funds to maintain them, will produce similar problems with rodents, insects and and a host of other undesirables. This stretches out of the urban and suburban areas, and into rural America. Properties have to be kept up, otherwise health problems will ensue, and the proprietors of such properties could find themselves with little of any value left to sell.