Mike, Hal, and Northwest Birders,

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) an invasive European shrub, may be rare in the
Astoria area, as described by Mike, but it is, or was, abundant in
other parts of coastal Oregon. I remember reading a shocking story-- I
believe it was in Donald Peattie's "Natural History of Western Trees",
in the chapter on Port Orford Cedar-- about the tragic consequences of
the proliferation of gorse in extensive forest clearcuts near Bandon,
OR. Gorse is extremely flammable in dry weather, and apparently
sometime in the 1920s or 1930s, a wildfire which started and spread in
gorse thickets burned out most of Bandon, with extensive loss of life.

Perhaps someone from Coos County or nearby, or someone with a copy of
Peattie's book handy, can provide more details on this tragic
incident. Reason enough to try to keep gorse under control!

Gorse is also fairly common in parts of SW British Columbia, including
the Victoria area and the Gulf Islands, although not nearly as
widespread and invasive as the ubiquitous Scotch broom (Cytisus
scoparius).

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
contopus at home.com


----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Patterson <celata at pacifier.com>
To: <halop at accessone.com>; tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: plant invader


> I'm finishing my 14th year on the lower Columbia and there's been
> gorse along Stringtown Rd, the Ilwaco airport and the boat basin
> for at least that long. Surprisingly, it is extremely rare on the
> Oregon side of the river.
>
> Hal Opperman wrote:
> >
> > Tweets:
> >
> > After successfully chasing the Mountain Plover about a month ago,
> > Jolynn, Tom Aversa, and I birded around the Ilwaco area for a
while.
> > I was surprised to come across what appeared to be a patch of
gorse
> > growing on an embankment of the sewage pond near the Ilwaco
marina.
> > Maybe this scourge of the Oregon coast is known to have
established a
> > toehold in our state, but if so, this is the first I've heard
about
> > it. Can anybody help clarify the situation?
> >
>
> > Hal Opperman
> > Medina, Washington
> > mailto:halop at accessone.com
>
> --
> Mike Patterson Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo,
> Astoria, OR it is not enough to be persecuted
> celata at pacifier.com by an unkind establishment,
> you must also be right.
> ---Robert Park
> http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html
>