Clearcutting of cypress trees is not the only challenge facing South Florida's fragile ecosystems. Another, more insidious threat comes in the form of invasive exotic species.
Unencumbered by natural predators, such as disease or insects, these alien pest plants invade, and oftentimes devour, Florida's forests and wetlands. Aided by the subtropical climate, many introduced plants are able to reproduce at alarming rates. And most are very difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate by ordinary chemical or mechanical means.
Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly called the paperbark, or punk tree, is one of the most aggressive. A member of the Myrtaceae, it has a camphor-like scent, bottle-brush type flowers, evergreen leaves and attractive exfoliating white bark. See http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/jpg/9... http://www.nbii.gov/invasive/Melaleuca/m...
In its native Australia, it is well-behaved, and the flowers are esteemed as a honey source. Interestingly, in some areas of Australia conservation movements are underway to protect melaleucas from encroaching development.
It's a whole different situation here, however.
Since first arriving in Florida over 50 years ago, the paperbark tree, so named because of its beautiful exfoliating bark, has ruthlessly marched across South Florida, wreaking havoc on wetlands and displacing native plant and animal communities. Trees are fast-growing and easily attain heights of 80 feet or more. Melaleucas thrive in both wetland and terrestrial habitats.
The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) considers this thug a "biological pollutant" and reports that "menacing exotics may be responsible for destroying more natural habitat each year than is destroyed through land development."
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Everglades. According to FLEPPC, "this fragile ecosystem faces extreme and possibly irreversible alteration as a result of intrusion by paperbark trees."
In fact, experts worry that the "River of Grass" may soon become a monoculture of paperbark trees. And no wonder--in a single year one paperbark tree can produce a dense hammock nearly 600 feet in diameter.
See http://www.nbii.gov/invasive/Melaleuca/m...
The news gets worse. Punk trees begin producing copious amounts of viable seed at two years of age. Compare that fact to most natives, which seldom produce seed before their 10th birthday. Typical germination rates for melaleuca hover at 98%--roughly three times higher than that of native tree species.
Eradication attempts using chemicals have proven costly and not very effective. University of Florida researcher Dr. Randall Stocker found that melaleucas treated with herbicides only suffer a temporary setback. See http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/melherb.jpg And don't even think about burning them--studies show this only aids in their spread.
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