Why we help: Protecting (and restoring) healthy plant communities

Bob Gale

I’ve spent my life studying, recreating and working professionally in natural plant communities in the Southeast, from the mountains to the coast. My botany professor at the University of South Carolina fired my passion for wild plants and brought our class up to the mountains for several backpack field trips. I immediately became excited by the diversity of plant species here and the mountain geology.

Soon after moving here in 1996, I eagerly accepted the ecologist position with the Western North Carolina Alliance, now MountainTrue. I’ve worked as a forest ecologist in our region for 23 years, protecting healthy plant communities and restoring many that suffered from poor management.

Through all of those years, I’ve had the pleasure to work with many like-minded people, from students to retirees, as well as partner conservation organizations and natural resource scientists in the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, state forest and wildlife agencies and universities. All have inspired me, especially the numerous young people who have interned with us or served terms as MountainTrue AmeriCorps staff on their way toward pursuing conservation careers.

In my post-college experience within the landscape industry, I planted many nonnative ornamentals, which were found in later decades to be invading natural plant communities and displacing native species. I knew my landscaping experience would serve me well in seeking solutions to this new problem, so since 2000, I’ve focused on controlling them in rare mountain ecosystems.

The greatest hurdles in this work have been educating the public in how our plants, pollinators and terrestrial wildlife are being harmed by nonnative invasive plants, and in convincing retailers to stop selling such species. The public is increasingly demanding that only native species are sold, which is hopeful. Continued education and public pressure can have a major impact. The goal is for plant retailers and their suppliers to focus on growing and selling the many wonderful native trees, shrubs and wildflowers that belong in our Western North Carolina mountains!

— Bob Gale
Ecologist and public lands director
MountainTrue
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.