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Article Critique - Fireweed
This article is generally informative and not biased. It is lacking quite a few citations and there are some "citation needed" comments, but I think that even more citations are needed. It is under the WikiProject Plants scope which aims to improve the article about plants. The article was graded in the C class and so needs some work. There is also some discussion on the talk page about the correct latin name for the plant and also for the etymologies of its common name. Overall this article needs a fair amount of work in order to be a good Wikipedia article.
Article Addition under the Uses Section edit
Because of its ability to reproduce easily from seed and from rhizome, Fireweed can easily take over a home garden or unattended area. If managed, it can be a great addition to a home garden and will attract a plethora of pollinators, improving plant life around it. [1]
Article Draft edit
Disturbance Ecology edit
Fireweed is an important colonizer in post disturbance regimes, most notably after fire events. Because of its ability to reproduce through wind driven tactics it is able to quickly colonize a disturbed area. Fireweed is often not present until after a fire has moved through a landscape. Once seedlings are established, the plant quickly reproduces and covers the landscape. It is somewhat adapted to fire as well and so can prevent the reintroduction of fire to the landscape. Fireweed reaches its average peak colonization after 5 years and then begins to be replaced by more permanent vegetation. Fireweed is well adapted to seed in severely burned areas as well, because the mineral soil that is exposed due to the removal of organic soil layers provides a good seedbed. [2] Because of its ability to reproduce easily from seed and from rhizome, Fireweed can easily take over a disturbance landscape. If managed, it can aid in the recovery of disturbed areas and will attract a plethora of pollinators, improving plant life around it, but can quickly take over a landscape. [1]Fireweed has also become known as "bombweed" because of its colonization onto lands that were bombed during World War Two. [2]
Land Management edit
Because of its rapid establishment on disturbed land, Fireweed can be used for land management purposes. Events such as logging, fires and mass wasting can leave the land barren and without vegetation. This causes the land to be more susceptible to erosion because of the lack of root structure in the soil. Fireweed is a useful tool that can be utilized after prescribed fires and logging events because of its fire resistance and ability to recycle the nutrients left in the soil after a fire.[3] It is also able to quickly establish a root system for reproduction and through this can prevent mass wasting and erosion events from occurring on burned or logged hillsides. Reestablishment of vegetation is crucial in the recovery time of disturbed lands. In many cases, Fireweed establishes itself on these disturbed lands, but implementing the introduction of Fireweed to a disturbed area as a management practice could prove useful in speeding up the recovery of disturbed lands. Disturbed and burned over lands are generally unpleasant to look at and pose a risk to habitats and nearby communities because of their susceptibility to mass wasting events. Fireweed can quickly establish itself across the landscape and prevent further damage, while providing a blanket of vegetation for recovering fauna to create new habitats in and for pollinators to foster the re-establishment of a diverse set of flora[1].
- ^ a b c "Fireweed". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ^ a b "Chamerion angustifolium". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
- ^ Pinno, Bradley D.; Landhäusser, Simon M.; Chow, Pak S.; Quideau, Sylvie A.; MacKenzie, M. Derek (2013-10-28). "Nutrient uptake and growth of fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) on reclamation soils". Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 44 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1139/cjfr-2013-0091. ISSN 0045-5067.