Acer negundo has spread well beyond its prairie range & now grows in the most degraded of places. This unjustly maligned tree is heat, drought & road salt tolerant & can be found in floodplains. It is a food source for many small mammals & birds. Manitoba Maple sounds like an ideal species for our changing climate. Though there are a handful of horrid invasives that do need to be controlled, it might be said that humans are the most invasive species as we plunder, poison & destroy our natural world. Let's learn to accept & appreciate the resilient plants which will be able to adapt to harsher environments in the future.
Beyond the War on Invasive Species is a book that shows us ways of understanding their presence and ecosystem effects in order to make more ecologically responsible decisions in land restoration and biodiversity conservation. The funding of pesticide companies & product donations to organizations supposedly working in conservation will be an eye opener.
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