To the editor:
In last week’s Brown County Democrat on the opinion page (not the fact page), there may have been an attempt at satire that potentially does more harm than good.
The letter was about the spread of invasive species into forest openings in the state forest and the suggestion that the Division of Forestry is distributing invasive species.
The Indiana Division of Forestry’s State Tree Nursery does not sell invasive plants. There was a time (20-plus years ago) when species such as multiflora rose, autumn olive and many other invasive plants were sold in Indiana and many are still sold today by private nurseries, but the IDNR State Tree Nursery does not sell invasive plants.
Invasive plants, animals and insects are a constant threat to our natural areas and biodiversity in Indiana and a disaster on private lands and rights-of-way. The Brown County Native Woodlands Project is a local group dedicated to protecting the forests of the Brown County from the devastating effects of non-native invasive plant species through education, training and eradication. We work with many public and private groups around the county to control invasive plants.
The reality is that invasive plants don’t care if it is public land or private land, a right-of-way or a forest opening, a favorite view or a residential garden. Many species such as multiflora rose and autumn olive as described in last week’s opinion page are here to stay. They will be controlled in areas where people work to do so, and should be controlled on public lands such as the state forest, state parks and nature preserves, but it takes time, money and cooperation. The Brown County Native Woodlands Project has dedicated hundreds of hours a year to controlling invasive plants on Brown County State Park, which does not harvest timber, but they still have an atrocious invasive species problem.
Timber harvesting is a disturbance to the forest; it is beneficial to many plants and animal species that need disturbance within the forest and require younger forest for survival. Care needs to be taken when harvesting timber to not spread invasive plants.
The Brown County Native Woodlands Project would recommend that both private landowners and public land managers invest in invasive species control efforts prior to conducting a timber sale. This will reduce the potential spread of invasive plants, and it is cheaper than trying to control them after a disturbance.
If you want to learn the facts about invasive species, visit bncwp.org for more information or join us at Nature Daze on Sept. 9 at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa for a free field day set up to learn about invasive plants, forest management, right-of-way management and several other topics. See our website at bcnwp.org for more details.
Respectfully,
The Brown County Native Woodlands Project (submitted by Dan Shaver)
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