Saturday, September 26, 2009

What's killing the Aspen?

I love this story about SAD, sudden Aspen decline. It's such a mystery!

"The cause or causes behind the problem remain frustratingly unclear, though scientists have some theories. The dying trees could be over-aged, living longer than they would normally due to fire suppression and thus, much like elderly people, becoming more prone to various ailments. The severe drought of recent years is thought to be playing a significant role, and the impacts of the changing climate may also be adding to the stress that leaves the trees vulnerable to various pests and diseases."
They really are floundering and mention that the trees' root systems are dying and they "drop their leaves, are ravaged by insects, and can't reproduce." SOUND FAMILIAR??
Here was my comment:
Aauurrrgghhh! It's the atmosphere, people! Emissions from vehicles and power plants morph into ozone and PANS, which are toxic to vegetation (and people). Check out my blog for pictures from the East Coast carnage.

It's not that difficult to figure out - published science has demonstrated over and over that volatile organic compounds from gasoline AND ethanol are poisonous to trees and other plants.

Seeing as how I have had severe allergic reactions to wasp bites in the past, this story about the invasive
wasps in Europe makes me quite nervous!

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New Jersey, United States
The best summation of the purpose of this blog is on the page linked to at the top, "Basic Premise" Beyond that, I post random thoughts and musings from Wit's End, a little farm I share with a dog, 2 indoor cats and 2 barn cats, a flying squirrel (Whippersnapper), Sun Conure (Bird), African Grey (Simon), a dozen chickens, a pair of peafowl, sundry koi in the pond, and various wildlife visitors, most notoriously among them, a voracious fox.

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