Accessing Materials by Maintaining Groves

[Mark Meckes]

--- joao.paglione wrote:
> It seems that it is difficult to
> obtain bamboo here in the US for crafts and small
> structural designs, because there isn't enough.
---------------------------------

Hi Joao,
Over the last decade or so, I think that a conservative estimate would be that well over a million bamboo plants have been distributed throughout the US, which adds up to many thousands of bamboo groves.
I personally have distributed several thousand plants during this time, and I don't even register as a `bleep' in the bamboo nursery industry trade.
Many of these groves are growing in urban environments.
These groves are now very ripe for harvesting!
Problem is, that many who planted these bamboos had no thought of using the material...many are unaware that their grove needs maintaining... the green `curtain' at the edge of the grove is concealing the dying culms
in the interior.
It is also possible that there are more groves throughout this country now, then there are crafts people who actually work with bamboo.
Around the city of Austin, Texas, where I have recently moved to, there are at least several hundred groves of Phyllostachys aurea. But I still haven't met
one single person who works fulltime here with bamboo.
I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that I just haven't met these bamboo crafts people yet. There are many though who have used it for a specific or occasional purposes.
For many areas of the US, all one has to do is recognize bamboo, and talk bamboo, and sources will eventually become known...finding the species you want to use may take much more effort, and of course if you want it seasoned and cured, you will have to do it yourself.
There are many owners of these bamboos who would be happy to have someone take care of their bamboo.
However there are few bamboo crafts people around, and even fewer people who have the basic know-how to maintain a grove, or will put in the extra effort to help improve the condition of a grove.
The problem is that many who harvest from bamboo are actually just gatherers, just takers, and not giving any thing in return, often leaving the grove in a worst state of condition. `I don't have the time...it wouldn't be economical to give this extra work', I've heard said. They might take the largest poles, even if they are still too young to be harvested. They
often just take the main pole section and leave piles of unwanted portions amongst the dying smaller juvenile culms. Especially in urban settings, this
becomes a dangerous fire hazard.
Culms are often not cut at ground level and stubs are left, leaving a sharp and dangerous grove for the next visitor.
Maintaining a grove requires an understanding of the life cycle of each culm. It involves a lot of selective pruning (this may also involve maintainance
and selective pruning of co-mingling trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennials).
For craft purposes, there is much involved in sorting and grading of materials. This extra effort is labor intensive, but the result is :
- better quality control of harvested materials
- higher yield requiring less space
- greater diversity of materials shapes and sizes
- improved understanding and working relation with the garden
- a `real' sense of accomplishment
- a beautiful grove
But if we wish to take so much from our bamboo garden, we must also give back to the needs of bamboo.

On a positive note, more people each day are discovering bamboo. Some will become intimately involved in studying and caring for this very special
woody perennial, and also think of this stewardship as a priviledge, even an honor.
This sense is especially true when bamboo provides a means of sustenance, as well as a connection to nature.
We have much to look forward to, with bamboo!

Mark
--------------------------
> After all, who should have to pay for a few bamboo poles?
> Adios - JP
--------------------------
The best situation, especially from city folks who have a grove (gone wild) in their back yard, is to GET PAID to clean up the mess, make their grove look
beautiful, as well as getting to take home, or share the bounty of useable poles.
Most calls I get to get rid of bamboo, they usually are presuming I will do a lot of hard work for a free exchange...There's only so much of this a person can
do...

Mark

[guest]

From: Dan Hemenway
While I generally agree that groomed groves are more productive and
attractive, there is one drawback. Where the grove is to screen noise. I
recall working with a group at the former plant introduction station in
Savannah (Georgia, USA). Before grooming, the location was quiet, peaceful,
no hint of traffic nearby. After cleaning, it was all too evident that there
was a busy interstate highway on the other side of the grove. I could hardly
hear myself think!

Where the function of the grove is as a noise barrier, minimal or no
maintenance is best.

Dan Hemenway
Barking Frogs Permaculture Center

[BambuBrasil]

Dan,
I see the same situation in various affluent suburbs near L.A. I would drive
by and see many groves of bambu of all types. On some occasions, I
frightened my friend by asking him to stop the car. Then I would proceed and
ring the doorbell and ask the owner if I could take some bamboos. At first
they seemed insulted, but then I explained that I would be trimming the
bamboos, cleaning the clump, stimulating further growth, etc. Then they told
me that they used the bamboos as a privacy barrier or to block noise and No
Thank You.

But as Mark has informed us, it seems there is quite a bit of bamboo out
there for the bamboo hunter to seek out. Look forward to the opportunity of
traveling to Austin, Texas to see all the stands of aurea. The distortions
on the culms are quite distinctive here in the U.S. much different to the
phylostachys adapted to the Brazilian climate -- many get as large as
bambusoides.

By the way, Elizabeth has postponed the meeting until the 24th of January. I
also heard that there was a meeting near Ocala on Jan 27th. I need to call
Richard Waldron or e-mail him and verify that.

I am leaving for Brazil this coming Sunday. On Monday, we will be visiting
the famous Senhor Takashi, I, Raphael of BambuBrasileiro.com, Marcelo
Fonseca of PUC-Rio, and Sergio Sarahyba a botanist who colloborated on the
book American Bamboos.

Mr. Takashi has grown MOSO for over 40 years in Brazil and achieved some
astonishing results. Some of his MOSO stands top 25 meters and he plants
them mixed with eucalpytus. Out of his 100+ acres of MOSO, he makes
medicinal charcoal, fertilizer for the flower industry, artifacts, blinds,
etc. I have some beautiful pictures of his vases and bamboo "pillows".

Will be pleased to share pictures with the group after our visit.

It has been an enormous pleasure to interact with our north american
bambusero brothers, and I believe Brazil and the United States should have
the best relations possible, as it mutually benefits both of us...

Nevertheless whether someone is advantage or not (as is always the case),
shouldn't we always try to work together as much as possible?

On a further note to Mark:

Please keep is informed about the idea of creating an official crafts group
of bamboo and a magazine. I will present this idea to many artisans in
Brazil and I think at least in Brazil, we will get a positive response.

JP

[bambubrasileiro]

Hello Dan,
I would agree with that. But the health of the plants are important too, and
they are happier when managed.

cordially,
Raphael

[Mark Meckes]

--- Dan Hemenway wrote:
> Where the function of the grove is as a noise
> barrier, minimal or no
> maintenance is best.

Because bamboo is a woody herbaceaus perennial and has a limited life span for each culm, it's important to cut out the older culms or few culms will be able to rise up through these `dead areas'.
Also this overcrowding of aging or dead material prevents lower side branches from fully forming.
The leaves, I think, even more so then the culms, act as noise reflectors.
Some methods come to mind that can serve to convert an open grove of, for eg, Phyllostachys, into a thick screen.
We use these methods for the border of our Phyllostachys grove, but maintain an open grove of larger culms in the interior.
- Removing some of the emerging larger culms at the edge of the grove... this brings in more light and produces a greater number of smaller culms/ denser perimeter growth.
This procedure is also carried out with field grown nursery production to produce smaller landscape plants that can be easily transported. Landscapers would prefer a 10-15 ft Phyllostachys then 30ft tall culms.
- Digging up new plant stock from these areas. This keeps the vigour in check and provides us with smaller plants to sell.
Using rhizome barriers. This will keep the grove size smaller.
We didn't install a rhizome barrier - one was there already - a concrete sidewalk and road.
The main reasons we like it thick on the edge of the property is:
- Noise barrier
- Visual barrier - we like privacy
- Access barrier - prior to my residence here and maintaining of the grove, there was a problem of tresspassing by local teenage students from a
nearby school who would use this grove for clandestine activities (I shall not mention). Carole put up a sign that reads`PRIVATE PROPERTY...RESPECT NATURE'
vandalism - one practice was to spray paint graffitti on the culms, the other was to pull the culms down till they broke.
There was considerable theft of poles... the grove was also used as a neighborhod trash dump for old tires, car parts, garbage, beer/ soda bottles and dead dogs.
We initially also built a fence along the property with old culms until the edges fill in. Initially kids would break pieces off the fence, but I now have it wired down more securely.
I also try and be out working in the grove when school gets out. I've talked to the kids, in a friendly fashion, after catching them in the act...Most are
seeing that the grove is being looked after and is a source of our livelihood.
Well..schools out.. it's time to be in the grove
Mark

[Guest]

From: Dan Hemenway
I have no disagreement. I was only saying that those groves need to be
permitted with "minimum" maintenance because of that specific function. I
also agree with the statement that there is lots of bamboo that needs
maintenance and I was personally inspired to consider it. For example, i can
put a notice in the Florida Farmers bulletin that I am available to clean
groves within a certain radius from my house . I expect that I would be
overwhelmed, which is causing me to hesitate. But once a month grooming a
clump somewhere would be a nice infusion of poles and biomass for the
chipper/shredder to convert to mulch. I can see this being a business for a
number of people here. I know a permaculturist from further south in the
state who got paid to remove a clump of bamboo which she then added to her
nursery. Grooming runner species is relatively easy compared to clumpers
such as Bambusa spp. which get so dense it is hard to work at all if they are
not regularly maintained.

In any case, let me underscore that my point was very limited, to that one
application of bamboo, which is to absorb noise. I know of no plant type
that does it better. That still leaves a huge amount of bamboo to harvest.

When the bamboo gardens at the State Experiment Stateion at Savannah, GA,
has a grove groomed by the ABS local chapter, everyone takes all the culms
they want and there is still a huge pile that is simply burned. (Alas!)
This is easier or cheaper or something than producing much, I suppose, but I lament the waste.

Joao explained a short version of Permaculture to the group already. One
permaculture strategy for people with limited land bases is to maintain
resources dispersed through an urban or suburban region. Bill Mollison, the
most famous champion of permaculture, relates about one person who cares for
chestnut trees in people's yards and takes the harvest. Even if they want
some, it usually is a small fraction of the total yield. Another rents sheep
out to people who need grass kept under control. He herd numbers are an
order of magnitude, maybe more, what he can maintain with his land base.
Another example is the person with a greenhouse who has a hundred times as
many plants as can fit into the greenhouse, with 90 percent being rented out
to restaurants and offices, and the greenhouse used to grow replacements and
nurse weakened plants back to health. While I have an adequate land base to
grow quite a bit of bamboo, it takes six years for a new clump to reach full
culm diameter, an another six years for the canes to reach the optimum
structural properties. That harvest in 12 years time will be very light, but
growing each year. At the moment, I'm 62 and I don't know how much bamboo
craft I want to practice in my late 70s. On the other hand, if I can get
paid to harvest some bamboo, I can get the material I would like to be
working with right now.

So I endorse the idea. I just think that, like most ideas, it doesn't apply
to every conceivable circumstance.

For Mother Earth
Dan Hemenway
Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
http://www.permaculture.net/~EPTA/Hemenway.htm

[Mark Meckes]

--- Dan Hemenway wrote
> I can see this being a business for a number of people here.

Hello Dan,
It would be a good idea, as you said, to put a notification of your offer in a newspaper etc, to maintain groves, even if you don't do it right away.
Bamboo shoots will be rising soon, which is the best time not to be cleaning groves.
But every thing takes time to co-ordinate,and this would give you a chance to develop a puposefulness behind your idea.
You mentioned that you have some land. This would be needed to store the bamboo.
Once you have stacks of bamboo, the next question - how to use it?

One of the biggest needs for bamboo is to establish more workshop centers where people can learn how-to work with bamboo.
Bamboo materials collected through maintaining groves could be put to use for these workshops, and help to offset the costs (through sales
of the material) of maintaining some groves. ( You will find that only a few people will want to pay you a fair price to maintain their grove)
A fortunate thing here in Austin is that on Bulk Trash Collection Days (twice a year), when tree-limbs and brush is picked up by the City Sanitation, they will NOT accept bamboo (because it is too springy and bulky).
So people have to pay extra to have it hauled away.
We have arranged with one landscaper to drop it by here when he gets a load. We still have to sort out the good stuff, and chip the rest up or use it for erosion control to terrace our steep hill.
In another situation where a builder wanted to remove a grove to build an apartment complex, we cut the grove down, graded and sorted the best material, on condition that he have someone else do the rest of the
work, and also that he hire a trailer and deliver our poles to us ... so there are many different situations that mutual arrangements can be made.
Our main problem now is that we are running out of storage space because we don't have much land to construct any buildings ...
Most of our 2 acres is on a steep slope already growing bamboo.

~ Mark