Word: plant
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Kudzu is a flowering, ropelike vine, first introduced from Asia in 1876. The U.S. Soil Conservation Service once paid farmers to plant it to stop erosion; now kudzu rampages across large swaths of the South, strangling and killing trees and all other plant life in its wake. Benign-looking cheatgrass carpets the shrub-steppes of the West and feeds some grazing species and birds. But it's also explosive kindling that increases the frequency and intensity of wild forest fires. Drive along any U.S. highway and you'll likely catch sight of purple loosestrife's telltale slender stalks and magenta...
...Invasive plants are one of the greatest ecological problems we are facing right now," says W. Gary Smith, a landscape architect based in Austin. "My public enemy number one is the Norway maple." Popular for providing shade in yards across the Northeast, the Norway maple grows up to 30 ft. high in 23 U.S. states. New Hampshire classifies it as a noxious weed; selling or transporting it is illegal, and fines for doing so can range from $250 to $500 per plant...
According to Smith, the regions of the country where invasive plant species are most widespread are those under the most pressure to develop, such as suburban communities, summer vacation spots or natural-resource extraction sites. Like a body with a weak immune system, Smith says, "An ecosystem under stress is ripe for invasion by non-native plants...
...time when environmentalism was a word few had heard, she did more to make Americans aware of the beauty and frailty of their natural surroundings than anyone since Teddy Roosevelt. Before there was an Earth Day, there was Lady Bird, pursuing her campaign to preserve national parks, fight pollution, plant wildflowers and banish billboards from around federal highways. In 1965 Congress passed the $325 million Highway Beautification Bill; everybody called it the Lady Bird Bill...
...cloud formation has a net cooling effect. In addition, thinning forests mean fewer trees to soak up the carbon emitted by industry and transport. Deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global carbon emissions, more than from all the cars, boats and planes in the world. Plenty of programs plant trees to offset emissions, but it is even more important to save the trees we already have. "You've got to deal with forests if you're going to make any progress on climate change," says Carter Roberts, president of the World Wildlife Fund...