Australian pine wars

Christopher Davies writes about Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County:

Several friends came across a park ranger ringing a mature shade bearing Australian Pine with a chain saw. We were told that all exotics are to be removed from the park.  Many of us consider these trees make the park with their beauty and welcome relief from the sun. Fort Desoto Park was voted #1 park in 2005. If we drastically alter the appearance of the park and make it look like Florida scrubland will we still have such a popular beach park? ... I assume we will see many more cases of skin cancer in the years to come as a result of this action.

Howdy. I got 3-4 e-mails on this same topic last week. Sorry, but I side with the county folks on this -- Australian pine is an invasive species that does far more harm than good. I wrote about this in a blog post a few months ago, saying: It is a harmful, terrible, terrible invasive species that has been a curse ever since settlers brought it here. It drives out native habitat. It actually sterilizes the soil and blocks native plant species. It provides no food source for species and it displaces other plant food sources. It does nothing except provide shade -- and that, generally in places that ought not have shade, blocking the light for the natural habitat. Along with Brazilian pepper, it is the enemy of the natural mangrove ecosystem that is typical of our inshore areas. I hope that Joyce Kilmer -- who wrote that only God can make a tree -- will forgive me, but the same must go for mangroves too, I think....

Comments

Three years ago I was invited to tour a DEP owned property in Manatee with 3 other people, DEP's Aquatic Preserves Manager, one of the state's architects from Division of Historical Resources and St. Petersburg's Environmental Planner. The land has archaeological remains, an historical residence (Haley House, which is now DEPs office) and amazingly beautiful natural resources.

At one point in the tour we came to an Australian Pine forest. We were asked to sit quietly and listen to the forest. It was dead quiet. Not another living thing survives there. No birds, no understory growth - nothing.

The Australian Pine is so invasive it can kill not only the indigenous plants, it also takes habitat from living creatures.

I can understand Christopher Davies concern for the pines. I used to love those which grew on Pass-a-Grille Beach. However, as a child who had the pleasure of spending many days on the islands before they were dredged and highways built to provide auto access, I also recall that Ft. DeSoto was originally scrub and old oaks. It has since been homogenized, cut and cleared.

I am glad the pines are going and hope that Florida's scrub and old oak growth survive and return. That is the real Florida.