Australian Pine: One of Florida's Least Wanted
Australian pines seem to be everywhere in the coastal regions in the bottom half of Florida. Their name is deceiving because, while they are native to Australia, they aren't pines or even conifers. They are flowering trees with separate male and female flowers, and what look like needles are really green twiglets with close-set circles of tiny leaves that drop at the first sign of a drought. In the photo to the right, the light-colored lines are where leaves where once attached. Most of the photosynthesis takes place in the twiglets.
There are three species of Australian pine (Casuarina spp) that have been imported into Florida for various purposes. They were widely planted to soak up the "swamps" in Florida, stabilize canals, and hold beaches. Unfortunately for Florida's ecosystems, the "pines" accomplished all this and more--like seeding prolifically, growing five feet or more per year, producing dense shade, and emitting an herbicide that kills most any other plant that has the nerve to grow within their collective drip lines. They have root nodules, like a legume, that fix nitrogen in poor soils for use as their own fertilizer, and they can tolerate saltiness. Between 1993 and 2005 the populations in Florida quadrupled. What a successful plant!
Why is their success so bad for Florida? Because the sterile monoculture they form has replaced the normal ecosystem of plants and animals that used to inhabit beaches and many other areas. Our loggerhead turtles, green sea turtles and American crocodiles have lost nesting sites on sandy beaches above the high tide line where "pines" have colonized. Farther inland the "pines" have displaced marsh rabbits, gopher tortoises, and many bird species that depend upon the native plants that were out-competed.
Australian pines caused significant damage in our recent hurricanes. Fast growth makes their wood brittle and they break under pressure. The shallow root system makes them susceptible to uprooting, too. They are highly flammable. So even if you ignored the environmental problems with this tree, it's not a good addition to a stormwise or firewise landscape.
Australian pines are on the Category I list of the most invasive plants according to the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (www.fleppc.org); and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection prohibits possession, collection, transportation, cultivation, and importation of these invaders. Even so, several years ago there was a group of Australian pine defenders in Key West. These folks appealed to the local and state governments to prevent removal of these invaders along the beach in Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. They wrote poems and dramatic essays saying that the "pines" are part of their history and that they love hearing the wind whistle through their needles. I guess they don't remember stepping on those hard, pointy seedpods that are hazardous to bare feet. Their pleas were successful and these invasives are still there today.
The military has been working to get rid of Australian pines and other invasives growing on its bases. On the Key West Naval Air Station, a multi-year program to eradicate invasives has begun, but it's not an easy task. The first step is to cut down the trees, but then all of the sprouts from the trunks and roots need to be eliminated. It's a huge job.
This post is part of FNPS's participation in the nationwide "Invasive Awareness Week" from Feb 26th to Mar 5th. Tell us what you've been doing to help eliminate invasives. Thanks.
Ginny Stibolt
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| Austrailian Pine fruits |
There are three species of Australian pine (Casuarina spp) that have been imported into Florida for various purposes. They were widely planted to soak up the "swamps" in Florida, stabilize canals, and hold beaches. Unfortunately for Florida's ecosystems, the "pines" accomplished all this and more--like seeding prolifically, growing five feet or more per year, producing dense shade, and emitting an herbicide that kills most any other plant that has the nerve to grow within their collective drip lines. They have root nodules, like a legume, that fix nitrogen in poor soils for use as their own fertilizer, and they can tolerate saltiness. Between 1993 and 2005 the populations in Florida quadrupled. What a successful plant!
Why is their success so bad for Florida? Because the sterile monoculture they form has replaced the normal ecosystem of plants and animals that used to inhabit beaches and many other areas. Our loggerhead turtles, green sea turtles and American crocodiles have lost nesting sites on sandy beaches above the high tide line where "pines" have colonized. Farther inland the "pines" have displaced marsh rabbits, gopher tortoises, and many bird species that depend upon the native plants that were out-competed.
Australian pines caused significant damage in our recent hurricanes. Fast growth makes their wood brittle and they break under pressure. The shallow root system makes them susceptible to uprooting, too. They are highly flammable. So even if you ignored the environmental problems with this tree, it's not a good addition to a stormwise or firewise landscape.
Australian pines are on the Category I list of the most invasive plants according to the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (www.fleppc.org); and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection prohibits possession, collection, transportation, cultivation, and importation of these invaders. Even so, several years ago there was a group of Australian pine defenders in Key West. These folks appealed to the local and state governments to prevent removal of these invaders along the beach in Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. They wrote poems and dramatic essays saying that the "pines" are part of their history and that they love hearing the wind whistle through their needles. I guess they don't remember stepping on those hard, pointy seedpods that are hazardous to bare feet. Their pleas were successful and these invasives are still there today.
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| Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park in 2/11. The Australian pines have reduced the beach and have littered the ground with their spiny seedpods. Ouch! |
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| Right next to the state park is the Navy base beach (Truman Annex) where the Australian pines have been removed. An area next to the beach has been planted with native plants including railroad vine, blanketflower, mohogany trees, and dune sunflower. Note the Australian pine sprouting in the middle of their native plantings. Fighting invasives is a long term project! |
The military has been working to get rid of Australian pines and other invasives growing on its bases. On the Key West Naval Air Station, a multi-year program to eradicate invasives has begun, but it's not an easy task. The first step is to cut down the trees, but then all of the sprouts from the trunks and roots need to be eliminated. It's a huge job.
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| Along the shoreline at the Key West Naval Air Station (Trumbo Point) Australian pines have been chopped down, but now the "pines" have sprouted vigorously and will need to be removed again. Native mangrove and seagrapes have been left alone, so maybe they'll have more of a chance to thrive. |
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| This area has been further treated and the Australian pine stumps appear to be dead. |
But wait, there's more!
The Australian pine is just one of the 140 invasives here in Florida. While controlling invasive plants is a huge task, if we all do what we can to eradicate these aliens, it will make a difference. If any are growing on your property or on community property near you, do what you can to remove them. If you see invasive plants being sold in big box stores or other nurseries, complain. Replacing aliens with locally native plants that are adapted to Florida's environment will help restore some diversity for the sake of our birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
This post is part of FNPS's participation in the nationwide "Invasive Awareness Week" from Feb 26th to Mar 5th. Tell us what you've been doing to help eliminate invasives. Thanks.
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So what to do with all those stumps?? Sit on them! |
Comments
V. Avery
The pInes at "Ft Zach" (as it is widely known here in Key West) serve to protect in three important ways:
—They buffer the island from storms, including hurricanes. In 2005, hurricane Wilma hit our island. The storm came in from the pines side of the island. Much other vegetation gave way or later withered and died. The pines held.
—They hold the beach in place. The extensive roots of the pines keeps the better parcel of the beach from washing away while the shoreline must be constantly replenished.
—They give us shade. This cannot be undervalued. In the intense and relentless heat and brightness of the Key West sun, the pines provide respite. Possibly above all, this was the reason our community banded together to defend these pines. The price of a pair of flip-flops to protect the bottom of our feet from the small "pine cones" that the trees do rain upon the otherwise soft needles that do cover the ground is a fair exchange for the cool shade the tall trees provide the beach. How the many picnic tables and grills are situated is indicative of the popularity and value of the pines; none out in the sun, they are all beneath the shade.
Of course, poems and songs and art was created in support of the pines. This IS Key West and the pines ARE great. Come see for yourself!
Give up the fight and invest in a stand of native trees that will also provide shade in a few years, but they will provide a much better environment for birds, butterflies, turtles and many other wildlife. Your children and grandchildren will thank you for your temporary sacrifice...
Here is a link to the pertinent Palm Beach county website: http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm/permitting/vegetation/prohibited-plants/
Thank you for your effort, it IS IMPORTANT to rid FLA of this invasive plant.
I see it everyday what harm it does to the native plants and our eco
system, I say GOOD JOB reconizing the problem. Keep it up making as
many people aware of this, sorry it took me so long to comment
Emilia Arrington: Just refoliate with a ton of natives, it will recover quickly.
Jorge Fernandez: That is what I think also. Plant plenty of natives flowers, grasses and trees and the entire environment will recover. If you are too concerned about the quality of the soil you can use the best of your local gardening potting soils for the flowers.
Laurie Sheldon: Here is a great webpage with some standard practices for improving soil quality: http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/management/management.html
Florida Native Plant Society: This is a legitimate concern because these invasive trees, especially the roots, are allelopathic to other plants. Are there some plants that do well in the aftermath of the Autralian pines (Casuarina spp.)?
Barbara Powell Harris: Look around at the sites in the area where plants are re-establishing where the Australian Pines have been removed. Plant these plants and let them establish. You can always remove the ones that you've planted once they have removed some of the allelopathic properties left in the soil. Wish I had time to take a drive out to a beach area that has been replanted with natives and make a list.
Rhoda Floyd: http://www.pinellascounty.org/scienceforum/pdf/Removal_Australian_Pine.pdf This indicates that they replanted after removal of the pines, and that what they planted did well, so the toxins put out by the Australian pines might not last long. Another article that I read indicates that removal of the leaf litter is advisable. Good luck.
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I hope this is helpful to you and anyone else who may be restoring such a habitat.
If the Austrailian Pines have to go, then you should as well!
I do understand folks' attachment to a "sense of place", but realize that Casuarina has been commonly cultivated for only the last 60 years or so. If you watch old black and white episodes of Flipper, you will see mostly small Casuarinas in the background (invading our beaches), and that show was mostly filmed in and around Miami and Biscayne Bay. Soon after, Casuarina began to dominate coastal areas of South Florida including southern portions of Key Biscayne at Bill Baggs State Park. I too remember going to the beach there as a child. I recall the Casuarina forest as being a bit spooky in that nothing grew beneath these large trees, and there were dense mats of their needle-like leaves. Very little wildlife occupied these dense stands, there were no bird songs. I also remember cursing the trees' fruits as walking barefoot in a Casurina stand is unpleasant due to their sharp prickly fruit.
When Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992, there was major devastation to this tree stand on the Key Biscayne. Fortunately, biologists and habitat restorationists took advantage of this, and eradicated the last remaining Casuarina trees and began replanting the area with more suitable native trees. It looks beautiful today, is full of wildlife, and acts as an important respite for migratory birds who now have plants they are capable of feeding from. Folks who visit the park enjoy this "new" sense of place, which is actually the original sense of place.
- They typically do not come to the US accompanied by the herbivores that keep them in check in their native countries, and therefore will quickly out-compete natives for resources such as sun and water
- Non-native species do little to nothing in terms of supporting biodiversity
- Each layer of the food chain depends on the one below it for survival... native insects need native plants to survive, native birds and mammals need native insects and native plants to survive, etc. Native plants evolved with native wildlife, so everything from the shape and structure of the flowers to the chemical content of the leaves is tailored to the feeding habits of native insects, birds, and animals. If native plants disappear, so will native wildlife.
I hope that gives you a clearer picture of why issues like native and non-native are incredibly important, and not something frivolous that botanists have dreamed up.
Fortunately our town and surrounding communities are removing these trees, and any lots here with new construction are required to remove them. Good riddance!
that city has shown over the years. Examples are plenty ( Flagler restoration , South Roosevelt beautification, every park in the keys, city hall , and every government entity). It’s actually shameful and hopefully someday they will actually ask the professionals to help instead of some ignorant city official that thinks they know plants because they took a master gardener class. Get real and get some professionals involved instead of some over priced bubba that knows nothing but a weed eater and a blower.
"The stranger coming to the Miami area will be mystified by what everyone calls "the Australian pine." He will think that it does look a good deal like a pine, but I can tell him, right here and now, it is no such thing: the beefwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) was brought to Florida from Australia as a quick-growing tree to use for windbreaks around orange groves. Its finely divided branchlets, which look like pine needles, give it its common name; but now the tree has been widely distributed as a roadside shade tree and, more-over, the curious little fruits have been spread around by birds, so that Australian pines are springing up here and there all over the Everglades. I suspect that if we could look forward a hundred years we might see a forest of beetwood trees covering a large part of the Everglade area - even the strongly saline regions of the very southern tip of the state, where almost no other introduced plants will take root. Beefwood burns in the fireplace to a lovely white ash, and is used sporadically to make handles for chisels and screwdrivers, but even with these attributes, it is a poor substitute for the cypress which is gone."