Submitted by RoaneBooster on September 24, 2009 - 12:55pm.
Many of us mountain living types indigenous to this blessed part of the world love our rhododenrons, don't we? And why not? They're grand!
A recent study by the US Forest Services shows they may be culprits in landslides - especially after the kind of weather we've been experiencing lately. Read more: Link...
Submitted by ConcernedCitizen on September 24, 2009 - 1:15pm.
Don't let TVA read that article. They will be blaming rhododendrons for last years ash slide. Actually it would make more sense than the slime theory they paid millions of dollars for. :>
Submitted by WhitesCreek on September 24, 2009 - 1:51pm.
I read that study sometime back and decided they were confusing cause and effect. Rhododendron aren't invasives or even a weedy species. They can only "expand" if there is a hole in the species structure. What appears to have happened is that the larger tree species with deeper roots have been compromised by invasive insects, fungi, and changing climate. As they die off the prominences in the higher elevations rhododendron can grow where they couldn't compete if the natural scheme had been left intact. Even once rhododendron form a "slick" it isn't difficult for other species to establish themselves, though it takes longer for them to pierce the canopy.
The real question is can we cure the problems that led to rhododendrons becoming dominant in the first place? I prefer to treat the cause rather than the symptom. For instance, if we quit burning coal and move to decentralized solar and other alternatives, we won't have to figure out what to do with all TVA's crap.
Don't let TVA read that article. They will be blaming rhododendrons for last years ash slide. Actually it would make more sense than the slime theory they paid millions of dollars for. :>
weren't there some rhododendrons planted somewhere along those semi-wetlands? (just kidding!)
RB
I read that study sometime back and decided they were confusing cause and effect. Rhododendron aren't invasives or even a weedy species. They can only "expand" if there is a hole in the species structure. What appears to have happened is that the larger tree species with deeper roots have been compromised by invasive insects, fungi, and changing climate. As they die off the prominences in the higher elevations rhododendron can grow where they couldn't compete if the natural scheme had been left intact. Even once rhododendron form a "slick" it isn't difficult for other species to establish themselves, though it takes longer for them to pierce the canopy.
The real question is can we cure the problems that led to rhododendrons becoming dominant in the first place? I prefer to treat the cause rather than the symptom. For instance, if we quit burning coal and move to decentralized solar and other alternatives, we won't have to figure out what to do with all TVA's crap.