What's Next?
By John Roberts Plant Rescue Team

Brasstown Bald is rimmed with frost.

I have spent much time this year watching and writing about the effects to date on our plants as 2007 progressed through a series of major stressinducing weather events. After a "too warm, too soon" start to 2007, the infamous Easter Freeze nipped the early start of spring in the bud- literally. In response to the loss of foliage and flowers, the affected plants used precious reserves and drought-limited water supplies to restart their spring activities. The extended drought and the long, hot summer added to the stresses and limited their natural ability to rebuild reserves and grow normally. I envision some plant science professor years from now explaining size differences in tree growth rings and using 2007 to demonstrate how a very bad season can drastically affect tree growth. I am sure the tiny weather-controlled growth rings from 2007 will tell the tale of woe that clobbered our plant life that fateful year.

Although many of our native plants do not have climate history-recording growth rings, they have been affected by the same adverse conditions and their responses will warrant close watching this year. I do not know just what we may expect this spring as our plants are starting their annual parade of sap rising, leaf building, flowering and growing activities. We have had many days warmer than normal so far this year so I suspect our plants might be nervous if they remember what happened to them last year after being launched into an early spring. I have already seen evidence that last year's extremes have caused and are still causing problems. So far this year our warm temperatures have encouraged early bud swelling, prolific maple blooming and both north and south slopes are already painted yellow by gorgeous daffodils. Many of the distal branches of the oaks and beeches that normally retain their brown leaves until the new spring buds push them off have been bare all winter. I also note that twig tips on a nearby young dogwood have a mildew-like fungus growing on them that looks saprophytic, indicating that it is growing on dead tissue. Many other dogwoods seem to have far fewer than normal bract buds. I fear many of our plants have been severely weakened by the events of '07 and therefore are more susceptible to pest attack.

I spent much of my professional career dealing with disease and insect pests that caused significant economic losses to our wheat, oat and barley crops. These pests were primarily invasive species and generated a battle between scientists and pests that will likely continue for many generations. Our native plant species also have a host of well-documented alien or invasive pest species patiently waiting, eager to and highly capable of taking advantage of the millions of host plants whose normal defenses have been drastically weakened. These invasive species include insects, viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens plus many innocent looking but over-achieving exotic plants. They often arrived as stowaways in packing materials as insect eggs, larvae or pupae or as plants or animals infected by a pathogen but showing no symptoms. When entering, although these entities were harboring dangerous pests they easily slipped through customs undetected. These "illegal aliens" have been responsible for billions of dollars in direct damage to our forests, pastures and crops and indirect and extensive expenditures through chemical, cultural and genetic methods used to try to control or eradicate them. These pests arrived here without the natural enemies that kept them under some degree of control in their native lands. This allowed them nearly unfettered access to a new world full of available hosts. These native hosts had no history of selective pressure from these new threats; hence they offer a near perfect arena for their establishment, proliferation and spread.

The list of damaging invaders is extensive, many of which are notorious for the havoc they have wreaked in our forests, prairies, cities and croplands. These include the devastating chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, Cereal Leaf Beetle plus several species of voracious bark boring insects. These are stark examples of what happens when our borders are inadequately protected. Fungus spores, bacteria and viruses, whether they be native or alien, will find easier than normal prey this year among the season-weakened hosts. Introduced invasive insect pests such as the Pine Bark Beetle and the Asian Longhorned Beetle will use their pheromone-based World Wide Web system to call their friends to join then on their weak pine and hardwood hosts. The invading pathogen responsible for Sudden Oak Death, Phytophora ramorum, is already well established, spreading and can survive on many alternative native and popular hosts, many of which have been unknowingly distributed by commercial nurseries. It and many other pests are ready and able to take advantage of the wide open opportunities for success afforded by the terrible year, '07. I hope our native flora can withstand all the attacks that await them this year and that the resilience that has sustained them for centuries will prevail.

For more information about the Plant Rescue Project contact either Jennifer Cordier at 706-745-9317 or email her at ivylog@alltel.net or Glen Henderson at abletinker@aol.com.