SW WA fungicide spraying?

[Guest auto302823]

Is there any truth to the rumours I've been hearing about the SW area being sprayed to kill the psilocybes growing down there?

auto.

[waterdragon]

sounds like you have a plague of shrooms. i'll be along shortly.

[Guest auto302823]

we wish, i supsect the rumours are because we've had some fairly tired seasons the last couple of years ... dry winters, water restrictions and all that ... this winter is bucketing down though ...

still if anyone can verify the story?

[occidentalis]

Doesn't sound like the kind of thing they could get away with too easily.

Psilocybe shrooms are part of the natural ecology in the SW. The use of fungicidal chemicals would surely have to be publicised and all greenies (inc. myself) would kick up a big fuss.

And anyway, fungicide would probably kill the Phytophthera fungus, and CALM wouldn't do that on purpose, because then the forests might survive!

[G Dawg]

Originally posted by creach:

And anyway, fungicide would probably kill the Phytophthera fungus, and CALM wouldn't do that on purpose, because then the forests might survive!

Not another CALM hating greenie

Wouldn't spraying affect the nitrogen fixing bacteria as well in the pine forests?

Later.

[Guest reville]

Ok im fresh back from working on guess what with guess who?

yes thats right Pines and CALM.

Creach i agree with your scepticism but from the guys ive met in CALM thyere not the horrible people you might imagine.

Thyer are good scientists and generally care about the future of the WA forests and bushlands.

Who i cant speak for are the administrative wing of CALM who like any govt dept outnumber

them by about 3 to 1.

Ive been from Binnu to Esperance in the last few weeks and seen about 80 pine plantations and a whole lot of country in between.

Ind i can honestly say that the improvements in the health of the WA environment in the last few years are phenomenal.

The concerted effort by landcare groups Government and farmers to arrest salinity, erosion and impleent diversified farming systems are having real results. most encouraging was the amount of life that has returned to once degraded wetlands that have been saved from salinity by extensive tree planting of native, fodder and pine species.

In what was obviuosly former croppoing land i visited a pine block adjacent to replanetd wetlands and heard 3 species of frog.that to me is a sybol of success as it means that salinity and poisons usage education and action is really working

Of couse this is mainly in the agricultuarl and broadscale farming areas. the metropolitan area and wetter southwest are slow to change attitudes.

Anyway - ive been working with the maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) from portugal and North Africa. Its the same one youll see around perth. There are millions of them going in across WA and the good new sis that they do support Desired funagal species.

P.subaeruginosa and adapted P cyanescens grow happily on Pinaster wood bark and needles.

Also there is a species P. mairei from north africa that lives on pinaster and its cones naturally. Its not here but if it was im sure itd do just fine. it may be the same species that was used on the tassili plateau in wetter times and is the subject of the famous cave painting.

The currenrt range of Psilocybes in WA seems to be frm the locus at bailingup through donnybrook and Kirup. Though by the efforts of transplaters ive heard they extend greatly beyond this range. It is not believed to be native to Wa and was most likely introduced with or after the pines. It is found mainly on pinus radiata which is planted in the wetter regions. It will grow on pianster but as pinaster is planted on guttless sand and drier ex farmlands the habitat is poor.

Its is true that they are attempting to eradicat this specis and as it is only currently found ina narrow range this is a distinct possibility - for a time

However with the approprate techniques now publicised people in the wetter SW can easily build theyre own Sub. azure or cyan patches. just takle look in the Mushroom cultivator by stamets and chilton ) its in the LISWA catalogue and i believe its home library is dardanup?)

I have no reason to doubt that deciduous hardwood can be substituted with bluegum or Karri chips or most easily with poplar or a mix of the above.

In addition the absence of P cubensis from the SW makes the introduction of a temperate dung lover highly desirable

psilocybe subfimentaria and Psiocybe hispanica being prime candidates www.sporeworks.com

The idea of eradication is ridiculous - psilocybes are an expoliter of ecological distubance - logging operations and beauty bark - they are vitually unstoppable especially with their human allies at hand.

another interesting point

I found a strain of gymnopilus that stains blue - very blue

it was on a pine stump - P pinaster

with the increase in plantings and subsequent thinnings i imagein that this species will also become more prevalent

[occidentalis]

Interesting post Reville.

 

Originally posted by reville:

thyere not the horrible people you might imagine.

Thyer are good scientists and generally care about the future of the WA forests and bushlands.

Yes, I agree with you completely. I did not intend to crap on any individual member of CALM, but I have witnessed some of their (the organisation as a whole) tactics in the old growth forests and it is very nasty work.

It is not believed to be native to Wa and was most likely introduced with or after the pines.

Interesting... where are they native to?

Are there any species of Psilocybes native to WA?

[Guest reville]

Where are they native to?

Well that im not sure of entirely. As far as i know they come from the East coast where they must have played a faurly minor role in eucalypt forests until the introduction of Pines which like some species of Ground orchids, mosses and other fungi they prefer to their original habitat.

There are Psilocybes in WA

P cubensis i believe is found in the Extreme north. Psilocybe semiglobata i found in pastures in the SW (Not active) http://www.univ-lehavre.fr/cybernat/pages/strosemi.htm

and Psilocybe coprophila is found througout the SW on rabbit and Kangaroo dung, also inactive.

The one here thay say is P subaeruginosa but other learned people disagree and tell me its definitely P australiana. Who knows - but i can defineitely say that there is a strong difference from the Ones i used to see in Second valley SA

[This message has been edited by reville (edited 11 June 2002).]

[Guest auto302823]

I was incredulous about this spraying rumour, for all the reasons above, but I'd heard it from a couple of unrelated people so I just thought I'd ask.

I agree with you Rev, the idea of eradication is ridiculous. Thanks for the exposition