Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: frustrated

Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus

Apparently people haven't learned the lesson "Do not introduce foreign species" from dandelions, kudzu, killer bees, etc.  Now they're introducing genetically engineered eucalyptus to northern Florida.  The gengineering was done to make the trees frost-resistant.  In other words, they removed the primary safety catch that prevents the trees from spreading.  Not a good idea.
Tags: nature, news
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  • 42 comments
judifilksign

judifilksign

June 9 2010, 22:45:24 UTC 11 years ago

Someone once told me that eucalyptus introduced to California is one of the reasons they've had more wildfires, because it spreads and spreads, and the oils in the trees make them burn hotter, spreading the fires more because the fires don't flare and burn out quickly, but keep burning longer, making fires over larger areas.
ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

June 10 2010, 00:02:41 UTC 11 years ago

That could be one contributing factor. Others include:

* Stripping the wilderness of its cover to build houses or sell wood is likely to produce weak scrubby growth that aids fires in starting and spreading.
* The popular "view" locations for building houses seem to be along draws where fires will reliably be channeled.
* Rainfall is lessening in some of the more fire-prone areas.
* Temperatures are rising in some of the more fire-prone areas.
* As more water is pumped out of rivers and other sources in the countryside, the land dries out more.
* As the forests and other native covers are stripped away, the land becomes less able to retain what water does fall on it. Note that redwood forests in particular influence their habitat, creating a dense damp forest that is resistant to fires. Which we have mostly cleared away.
* There are far more people living in California than its own water can support, so water has to be imported long distances, so there is little left for fire control.

That's off the top of my head. There may be more.

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