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--Apple-Mail-1-493485063 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Randy's example of purple loosestrife is an instructive case in point. As I understand it, p. l. was imported into North America way back in the early 1900s? 1930s? or even before that, but for unknown reasons didn't become a large problem and invasive with detriment to native plants and marshes until several decades passed. My impression from reading is that this is a fairly general phenomenon regarding imported alien species, so that it's difficult to predict which plants will turn out to be invasive. Thus the general principle that all jurisdictions need to, as a rule, untilize precautionary skepticism and ordinarily rule against importation of any non-native species. Cheers? from Jim in Wolfville Begin forwarded message: > From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com> > Date: October 25, 2010 9:31:31 AM ADT > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] White list of authorized plants > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > I think the point of a white list, as opposed to a banned list is > relatively straight forward, actually. > > I do take Marty's point that with huge shipments of goods, and also > people who won't abide by rules, control may be difficult. I don't > think anyone believes that a "toss in the towel" approach is > correct either. > > Assume for a moment that Purple Loosestrife was not here, and > assume we did not know of its potential invasiveness. It would not > have appeared on a banned list. Anyone could have imported it for > sale as a garden plant, then boom, we'd have had a problem. If on > the other hand we used the white list approach, Loosestrife would > not have been on the list (I assume all species on the list undergo > some sort of clearance to make it on the list), and Loosestrife > would not have been allowed in to the country. Barring accidental > import, we would not have had the problem. One can guffaw at this > example as being trite, but I'm using it to illustrate a point. > > The precautionary approach is being used to protect our > environment. In other words, we are staving off problems that we > don't know about, and those we do know about, instead of just the > ones we do know about. > > Randy > _________________________________ > RF Lauff > Way in the boonies of > Antigonish County, NS. > > > On 24 October 2010 20:16, David & Alison Webster > <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: > Hello: Oct 24, 2010 > This is not Apr 1, but I just heard about a move to replace the > list of prohibited plants (for movement between Canada and USA) by > a much longer list of allowed plants, so I wonder if this is an > April 1 joke that has been held up nearly 7 months at the border. > > If valid, then it sounds like an efficient way to generate > inefficiency and and an efficient way to create unnecessary > inconvenience and/or hardship. > > I don't know what plants are on the prohibited list but it seems > to me that a short list is more readily understood, enforced or > questioned than a much longer list. > > Thus we have no-fly lists as apposed to fly lists, lists of > people who must report to local police weekly as opposed to lists > of those who do not have to report, lists of insect pests for > specific crops as opposed lists of insects that are not pests, etc. > > I stand to be corrected by evidence based comments, but in my > recollection any problem created by non-native vascular plants that > have crossed the border by permit is miniscule (zero perhaps) > compared to the problems created by non-vascular organisms that > were brought to North America by accident, such as Dutch Elm > Disease and Beech Canker. > > Yours truly, David H. Webster, Kentville, N.S. > --Apple-Mail-1-493485063 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> Randy's example of purple loosestrife is an instructive case in point. = As I understand it, p. l. was imported into North America way back = in the early 1900s? 1930s? or even before that, but for unknown reasons = didn't become a large problem and invasive with detriment to native = plants and marshes until several decades passed. My impression = from reading is that this is a fairly general phenomenon regarding = imported alien species, so that it's difficult to predict which plants = will turn out to be invasive. Thus the general principle that all = jurisdictions need to, as a rule, untilize precautionary skepticism and = ordinarily rule against importation of any non-native species. = Cheers? from Jim in Wolfville<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded = message:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Randy Lauff <<a = href=3D"mailto:randy.lauff@gmail.com">randy.lauff@gmail.com</a>></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">October 25, 2010 9:31:31 AM = ADT</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Re: [NatureNS] White list of = authorized plants</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> I think the point = of a white list, as opposed to a banned list is relatively straight = forward, actually.<div><br></div><div>I do take Marty's point that with = huge shipments of goods, and also people who won't abide by rules, = control may be difficult. I don't think anyone believes that a "toss in = the towel" approach is correct either.</div> <div><br></div><div>Assume = for a moment that Purple Loosestrife was not here, and assume we did not = know of its potential invasiveness. It would not have appeared on a = banned list. Anyone could have imported it for sale as a garden plant, = then boom, we'd have had a problem. If on the other hand we used the = white list approach, Loosestrife would not have been on the list (I = assume all species on the list undergo some sort of clearance to make it = on the list), and Loosestrife would not have been allowed in to the = country. Barring accidental import, we would not have had the problem. = One can guffaw at this example as being trite, but I'm using it to = illustrate a point.</div> <div><br></div><div>The precautionary approach = is being used to protect our environment. In other words, we are = staving off problems that we don't know about, and those we do know = about, instead of just the ones we do know about.</div> = <div><br></div><div>Randy<br = clear=3D"all">_________________________________<br>RF Lauff<br>Way in = the boonies of<br>Antigonish County, NS.<br> <br><br><div = class=3D"gmail_quote">On 24 October 2010 20:16, David & Alison = Webster <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a = href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">dwebster@glinx.com</a>></span> = wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 = .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"> Hello: = Oct 24, 2010<br> This is = not Apr 1, but I just heard about a move to replace the list of = prohibited plants (for movement between Canada and USA) by a much longer = list of allowed plants, so I wonder if this is an April 1 joke that has = been held up nearly 7 months at the border.<br> <br> If valid, = then it sounds like an efficient way to generate inefficiency and and an = efficient way to create unnecessary inconvenience and/or hardship.<br> = <br> I don't know what plants are on the prohibited list but it = seems to me that a short list is more readily understood, enforced or = questioned than a much longer list.<br> <br> Thus we have no-fly = lists as apposed to fly lists, lists of people who must report to local = police weekly as opposed to lists of those who do not have to report, = lists of insect pests for specific crops as opposed lists of insects = that are not pests, etc.<br> <br> I stand to be corrected by = evidence based comments, but in my recollection any problem created by = non-native vascular plants that have crossed the border by permit is = miniscule (zero perhaps) compared to the problems created by = non-vascular organisms that were brought to North America by accident, = such as Dutch Elm Disease and Beech Canker.<br> <br> Yours truly, David = H. Webster, Kentville, N.S. <br> = </blockquote></div><br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-1-493485063--
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