Wild Flora's Wild Gardening: Not soon enough

Not soon enough

THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency has announced that it is finally going to impose restrictions on the amount of pollution that can be spewed by lawnmowers, weed whackers, and other gas-powered engines in lawn and garden equipment. Effective in 2011, these machines will be required to cut smog-forming emissions by 35 percent.

The EPA has estimated that small gas-powered lawn and garden machinery emits anywhere from 9 to 33 percent of some air pollutants, depending on where you live. The person operating the equipment gets an even higher dose. Anything that removes some of this pollution has to be counted as good.

But why wait until 2011 to enjoy these benefits? Instead of a lawn mower, why not use a scythe? It's good exercise and nonpolluting as well. Much easier to store, too.

The scythe shown at left is a traditional Austrian scythe from Lee Valley. I was assured by an expert on scythes that it is an excellent choice for a beginner who is just interested in cutting grass. (There are other styles of scythes that might be more useful for other situations.) To learn more about this scythe, see this page at the Lee Valley website. (If you have any trouble finding it, look under Gardening/Lawn Care/Assorted).

3 comments:

Greg W said...: What a wonderful alternative to polluting machinery. Never realized that a scythe could be used for cutting a lawn. I’m imagining a fairly uneven cut but I suppose with practice it would work.

The EPA always drags it feet whenever enacting new rules. What I find most disturbing is that they were going to allow new coal-powered electricity-generating power plants to be built without restrictions on the amount of pollution they emit.

Likewise, China and India are planning a boom of sorts for new coal-powered plants that would emit in the neighborhood of 2.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1223/p01s04-sten.html

Sounds like that old adage “Penny-wise and pound foolish”.; December 12, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Michelle Clay said...: Fascinating idea, thanks!; December 15, 2008 at 2:05 PM
Gloria said...: What a great tool to learn how to use. I have never tried one but may now.Never thought to put to such a use. I remember seeing an uncle using one years ago.
We have a hand push reel mower but it is not good if the grass grows very tall, which it always does.Peter(the Mr.) complains then uses the power mower. He might be amenable to this solution.
Great to see you posting,we have missed you...; December 18, 2008 at 12:14 PM

About this blog and its owner

I’ve lived and gardened in Chicago and the Seattle area, and now I live on 250 acres in eastern Canada. Most of my life has been spent as a journalist and editor, but after moving to Seattle I took a detour and ended up designing and installing wildlife-friendly gardens. For a long (sorry) but (I think) funny essay about this experience, please click here.

In this blog, I try to combine my gardening experiences with journalism-type research to come up with items that I hope will be useful to you, the gardener who wants to be kind to wildlife. The blog will probably be most useful to people living in areas where I have some practical experience, namely the band of states and provinces that are on either side of the United States-Canada border.

Being self-employed, I go through spells when I’m self-unemployed and am able to post frequently, and spells when I’m involved in a project and not able to post. This site is a labor of love and, alas, like so many labors of love it often has to take a back seat to labors of lucre.

If you like what you find here, please consider joining the site as a member or adding it to your “follow” list. The modules for this are below.

Q&A

Question: I have a neat old elm tree in the front yard which is sorely afflicted with mistletoe. I don't know quite what to do with it, as every windstorm drops branches, bark and other parts down on the yard below. I know the infected wood will have to go, at least that is what I'm told, but a considerable amount of tree must be removed in the process. It is a dear tree, and I don't want it to come to fatal harm. What should I do? From Mary

Answer: Dear Mary, old is not ugly, dying is not bad, and dead is part of the natural order. At least if you're a tree.

Old, diseased trees, and the dead trees they eventually turn into, play just as important a role in an ecosystem as the young, healthy ones do--even more important because, thanks to the misguided practices of the past, dead and dying trees have become so rare. Holes in dead and dying trees are vital nesting spots for many birds and small mammals. Dead branches and other litter (which is not necessarily a sign of disease--healthy trees drop litter too), if left to decompose naturally, are also important for ecosystem health.

When working with old trees it's important to get advice from an arborist who understands their value and won't be in too much of a hurry to make drastic changes. Before hiring an arborist, I'd ask him or her to explain the ecological value of dead and dying trees. Ideally I'd want to work with an arborist who could show me examples of dead or dying trees he/she has left standing (aka snags).

I don't know much about mistletoe because I've never lived anywhere that it grows, but I wasn't surprised to read in the Wikipedia that it is an ecologically important species. All too often, valuable native species are classified as pests just because they don't fit preconceived notions of attractiveness. To me it sounds like a pretty cool plant and one I would be happy to have in my garden.

All in all, as long as the tree doesn't pose a hazard to people or property (the advice of a professional could be helpful in making this decision), I would leave it alone to live out its life in dignity and peace. If the tree does pose a hazard, I would look for an arborist who is willing to do the least amount of work necessary to remove the hazard, making every effort to leave as much of the tree as possible and not destroy its appearance.

With any luck you will find someone who appreciates the aesthetics of old trees--who recognizes the beauty, as well as the ecological importance, of big holes, broken limbs, and gnarly wood. (With any luck, we will all find people like this as we get older--but that's another story!)

I like to answer questions! Send me a question at wildflora at gmail dot com and I'll try to answer it. If you provide an email address, I usually respond privately within a few days. (If I forget, please forgive me and send me a reminder.)

Looking for a question and answer that appeared here previously? I am archiving them at my new website. Currently you'll find one question and answer about how to get rid of a multiflora rose and another about how to move a bumblebee nest.

Terms and Conditions of Use

I generated these terms using a service available at this website. I modified it slightly to meet my own needs. Thanks to Ben Nadel for providing this service.

1. Terms

By accessing this blog, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use, all applicable laws and regulations, and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are prohibited from using or accessing this site. The materials contained in this blog are protected by applicable copyright and trade mark law.

2. Use License
Permission is granted to temporarily download one copy of the materials on Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's web site for personal, non-commercial transitory viewing only. This is the grant of a license, not a transfer of title, and under this license you may not:
modify or copy the materials;
use the materials for any commercial purpose, or for any public display (commercial or non-commercial);
attempt to decompile or reverse engineer any software contained on Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's web site;
remove any copyright or other proprietary notations from the materials; or
transfer the materials to another person or "mirror" the materials on any other server.

This license shall automatically terminate if you violate any of these restrictions and may be terminated by Wild Flora's Wild Gardening at any time.

3. Disclaimer
The materials on Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's web site are provided "as is". Wild Flora's Wild Gardening makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties, including without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights. Further, Wild Flora's Wild Gardening does not warrant or make any representations concerning the accuracy, likely results, or reliability of the use of the materials on its Internet web site or otherwise relating to such materials or on any sites linked to this site.

4. Limitations
In no event shall Wild Flora's Wild Gardening or its suppliers be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of data or profit, or due to business interruption,) arising out of the use or inability to use the materials on Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's Internet site, even if Wild Flora's Wild Gardening or a Wild Flora's Wild Gardening authorized representative has been notified orally or in writing of the possibility of such damage. Because some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties, or limitations of liability for consequential or incidental damages, these limitations may not apply to you.

5. Revisions and Errata
The materials appearing on Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's web site could include technical, typographical, or photographic errors. Wild Flora's Wild Gardening does not warrant that any of the materials on its web site are accurate, complete, or current. Wild Flora's Wild Gardening may make changes to the materials contained on its web site at any time without notice. Wild Flora's Wild Gardening does not, however, make any commitment to update the materials.

6. Links
Wild Flora's Wild Gardening has not reviewed all of the sites linked to its Internet web site and is not responsible for the contents of any such linked site. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Wild Flora's Wild Gardening of the site. Use of any such linked web site is at the user's own risk.

7. Site Terms of Use Modifications
Wild Flora's Wild Gardening may revise these terms of use for its web site at any time without notice. By using this web site you are agreeing to be bound by the then current version of these Terms and Conditions of Use.

8. Governing Law
Any claim relating to Wild Flora's Wild Gardening's web site shall be governed by the laws of Nova Scotia, Canada, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.