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Maui’s neglected (Invasive) grasslands caused Lahaina fire to grow with deadly speed
(www.washingtonpost.com)
this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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No Lawns
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Invasive pasture grasses aren't really lawns but I'm loving the grass-hate. It's a plant that has evolved to kill trees (and unfortunately people) and then recover quickly to do it again.
Anybody here know what the pre-clearing state of the area may have been? Rainforest, dry rainforest, native grasslands etc? It's hard to look it up, not sure if you have mapping layers that show it.
As I understand it, the issue is that huge sugar cane plantations have just been left empty.
Sugar cane used to be native, then it was used for plantations, then it was removed, then invasive plants took over the empty space more quickly than any native plants.
Yeah, we have the same systems in place here in subtropical Aus; same species, same degraded and cleared ecosystems. Even looks slightly similar.
When I think Hawaii I imagine tropical ecosystems but I understand some islands are naturally drier. What was there prior to the degradation is of interest and as I work in regeneration/reclamation, of interest again as to how these systems can be recreated.