>Apart from Broom (I'm really sorry about its origins), what other plants have
>reached the population density and popularity of Starlings ;-). Are
>Rhododendrons as much as pest here (in the US) as they are in Wales ? What
>about Giant Hogweed, from Siberia, which produces a chemical which
>burns the skin (sometimes badly) when exposed in sunlight ? Any Triffids ?

RHODIES A PEST??? Stuart, Please!!!!

They are a natural part of the forest landscape, here, hardly a pest.

Pestilential species which cause problem here are introduced, and here
are my top five vote-getters:

1. Scotch Broom. We all know about this. In western Oregon, it has
made a major move the past few years into the lower cascades, in
clearcuts. I was amazed last spring by vast vistas of yellow over
the Santiam Pass - for a long time, the broom was largely limited
to the coast and Willamette Valley. This may be due to the
relatively dry and warm winters we've seen for the past few years.

2. European beachgrass. Introduced for dune stabilization. It has
done the job far too well, and is a major factor in the decline of
snowy plover along the coast. Not the only factor, don't misundertand
me here!

3. Cheatgrass. Often called simply "cheat". Perhaps the only issue on
which conservationists and ranchers agree is in their mutual dislike
of this weed. Called "cheat" because it was originally imported into
this country in grain or seed shipments, used as filler to dilute
product. Though, given its habits, inclusion might not have been
intentional! First to green, first to brown out. Does provide very
limited forage for cattle, but its growth cycle is so short that it
can greatly increase the threat of range fire. It is, like any
proper pest, a quick colonizer of burns. My understanding, though, is
that cheat is considered tasty by chukar - another import, believed
to be benign as such things go. Again, don't misunderstand me - I
dislike the idea of letting exotics loose, but chukar are a done
deal.

4. Canary reedgrass. Truly pestilential in westside Oregon wetlands,
and least. Takes over and forms a monotonous monoculture. Native
plants can compete if the flood/dry cycle is right for them, but we
don't know a lot about that. A local EPA biologist is currently
studying patches of native wetland species within a sea of canary
reedgrass in a local wetland to get a handle on water management
techniques which might be useful for reedgrass control. Apparently,
not much is known, at least for plant communities native to the
Willamette Valley.

5. Crested wheatgrass. Doesn't really belong here because, unlike the
above, it requires two big tractors, a length of anchor chain, sowing
apparatus, and federal dollars to invade new territory. But, hundreds
if not thousands of square miles of sageland have been converted to
crested wheatgrass plantings by the BLM, at taxpayer expense, to increase
the value of rangeland, though this increase in value has been reflected
in a DECREASE (in absolute, as well as inflation-adjusted dollars) in
fees charged ranchers to graze them. Such stands support horned lark
and damned little else. Deer - browsers, not grass-eaters - dislike
it. Pronghorns apparently get some use out of it, though it is not
as productive for them as healthy range.


Oh, hell, gotta make it six, not five:

6. HIMALAYAN BLACKBERRY. How could I forget? Mechanical removal (including
that 'ole eating machine, the goat!) and herbicides are about the only
techniques that work here, and recolonization is instantaneous.



-Don Baccus-