| It thrives on heat and drought. In the thickest brakes
the trees grow so close together that their branches interlock all the
way to the ground, leaving no room for grass or anything else--the cedar
is all there is.
Richard Phelan, Texas Wild, The Land, Plants, and Animals of the Lone Star State This may be the wrong time of the year to suggest to Central Texans that our local cedar really does have its virtues, but it is as good a time as any to try and set the record straight about some of the many misunderstandings concerning this ubiquitous and much maligned Hill Country resident. Our precious countryside is rapidly being taken over by development, and many of us are or will be directly involved with decisions regarding the destruction or preservation of the existing vegetation. Before we get out our chainsaws, there may be some things we will want to know about the cedar, its relationship to the ecosystem, and its uses. There are several varieties of cedar in Central Texas. Actually, they are junipers, not cedar. The most common of our junipers is the ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), also known as "Rock-cedar" and "Post-cedar". During this month's presentation we will learn about the ashe juniper and its cousins, including their history (Are they invaders or natives?), their characteristics (Do they really suck water?), and their uses (Is the wood a good building material?). We will discuss its good and not-so-good properties and its benefits to wildlife and humans. And (Don't fire up that chainsaw quite yet) we will learn about its ecological importance and whether and how we should clear juniper. In her book Native Texas Plants, Sally Wasowski's comment about ashe juniper was: "This is one of my favorite trees in the whole state". Landscape architect and SBC member Elizabeth McGreevy will share with us the findings of her extensive research into the ashe juniper. After completing her bachelors degree in biology, Elizabeth obtained a masters in landscape architecture from Texas A&M, focusing on landscape ecology. Locally, she has worked on projects such as the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Sun City Georgetown retirement community. She is working towards publishing a book on the Ashe juniper tree. Resources
Elizabeth McGreevy, Landscape Architect, 3312A Thomas Kicheon Street, Austin, TX 78745, (512)282-7985. Email: emcg@ecpi.com |
Ashe Juniper Bibliography
Adams, Robert P., 1977. Chemosystematics - Analyses of Populational Differentiation and Variability of Ancestral and Recent Populations of Juniperus Ashei, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard., 64 (2): 184-209. Beck, Malcolm, The Gardenville Method: Lessons in Nature. Gardenville, Inc.: San Antonio, 1993. Bray, William L., Forest Resources of Texas. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, Bulletin no. 47. Government Printing Office: Washington D.C. 1904. Clarke, Mary Whatley, March 1946. Cedar Posts Fenced a Cattle Empire, The Cattlemen, 32 (10): 26-30, 133. Foster, J. H., H. B. Krausz and A. H. Leidigh, May 1917. General Survey of Texas Woodlands, Bulletin of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, 3 (9). Holley, Mary Austin, Texas: Observations, Historical, Geographical and Descriptive, in a Series of Letters. Baltimore, 1833. Mahler, David and Judy Walther, The Process of Habitat Restoration: with Specific Application to the Upper Glen Rose Geologic Formation of Central Texas. Unpublished, 1987. Owens, M. K., 1996. The Role of Leaf and Canopy-level Gas Exchange in the Replacement of Quercus Virginiana (Fagaceae) by Juniperus Ashei (Cupressaceae) in Semiarid Savannas, American Journal of Botany, 83 (5): 617-623. Taylor, Colonel Nathaniel Alston, The Coming Empire or Two Thousand Miles in Texas on Horseback. Turner Company: Dallas, 1936. Toepperwein, Fritz A., Charcoal and Charcoal Burners. The Highland Press: Boerne, 1950. Weniger, Del, The Exlporer's Texas. Eakings Press: Austin, 1984. the 1997 Juniper Symposium book- obtain from Dr. Fred Smeins |
| Colorado Natural Building Workshop 1999
Join many experienced natrual builders in Rico, Colorado June 24 to June 27, 1999, for this excellent event. $275 per person; $500 couple. Hands-on workshops, lecture, discussion, slide shows, home tour (including Sun Ray Kelley's bus stop!), and more covering your favorite topics: straw bale, lime based paint on cob, healthy homes, earthen construction, solar, rammed earth, wildplant tour, and more. For more information email: Keithl@csn.net Ink Jet Cartridge Recycling
For those of us using ink jet printers there is now an easy way to at least make things a little more environmentally responsible. Office Depot (and probably others) has free envelopes into which you can place your empty cartridge and drop into a mailbox, postage paid. Very easy. So pick up a couple of these envelopes (located by the new cartridges) and do one more little thing for the Earth. Upcoming SBC Presentations
Due to the fact that the year 2000 will be upon us before we know it, and since there was so much interest in the issue of Y2K discussed at the January meeting, we have decided to rearrange the planned presentation schedule to address some sustainable living issues which might be more urgent in light of the pending Y2K potentialities. Our focus will be on actions that will not just get us through any Y2K difficulties but will be permanent, ongoing lifestyle changes toward a more sustainable existence. March 17 - Food
www.greenpeople.org
Check out this site, they provide an online searchable directory of products and services provided by compassionate, ethical and environmentally minded people. Timeless Architecture of Vedic knowledge
"Creating Architecture in harmony with Nature" 5-day course April 5 to April 9th, 1999
Full info on the course is also available at the Sustainable Building Calendar at http://www.greenbuilder.com/calendar/ C.O.A. Green Building Seminars
11:30-1:30 open to Green Builder members. Call ahead to Mary at the City of Austin 499-3541. February 16 Construction Geology / Soils
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Workshops and Events Of Interest
March 5-7 1999 International Straw Bale Conference conducted by CASBA, The California Straw Bale Association. To register, contact: Cheryl Jacobs <cheryl@smwm.com> or (415)221-7124 by January 15 or ASAP! May 13-16 Earthen Floors and Natural Wall finishes. $275 in Canelo, AZ. Athena and Bill Steen <absteen@dakotacom.net> or (520) 455-5548. June 6-12 "Build Here Now," A Natural Building and Permaculture Convergence in Taos County, NM, sponsored by Permaculture Drylands Institute, Lama Foundation and The Last Straw Journal. Contact <pdrylands@aol.com> for information on this multi-topic event put together to rebuild Lama after a 1996 fire. Register by April and your cost is $500 which includes three vegetarian meals per day and on-site lodgings. Cobbing
Various small, medium and large cobbing workshops are forming located in far North Austin, Dripping Springs and elsewhere. Call Yvonne Hansen to get on the cob mailing list at 447-0459 or email <geminideas@greenbuilder.com> A number of workshops are planned for Ledgestone Settlement, located on nine acres just east of Dripping Springs. A cob structure is being built, and two cob workshops are scheduled for this spring: cob oven and do-able projects with cob. Raincatch, ferro cement, trellis and arbor construction events are in the works. If you want to be on the email list, post to <geminideas@greenbulder.com>, or phone Yvonne Hansen at 512/447-0459. Organics
TOGA, Texas Organic Growers Association will sponsor a day-long conference on Saturday, January 20 at the Red Lion on marketing organics. The cost is only $25! With lunch, $40. Contact Sue Johnson, Director for information: <suejefi@aol.com>. 887-326-5175 Let's Talk Organics!
Also, a two-day organics charrette, a creative, open approach to exploring ways to get more organics growing and on our tables, will be held February 20 - 21 in East Austin at Patrice Sullivan's Barn! This event is sponsored by the Armadillo Trading Club, Sustainable Food Center and the BioRegional Congress. No admission fee, but bring a dish for the potluck lunches each day you attend. On Saturday watch and listen to live music by some of our fine local musicians. You are invited to dig in for a gardening event Sunday from 8-11 am. The charrette will continue with action planning on Sunday. Call Lyndon Felps at 448-0717 or Doug Lewin at 236-8177 for more information. Bioregional Congress of the Colorado River Watershed
This on-the-mark group meets quarterly to recognize the realboundaries of watersheds, our own watersheds where ever we live. The next meeting, a pot luck around a warming bonfire at Jim O'Briens will be coming up soon. Call Lyndon Felps at 448-0717 for information. |