EDITORIAL
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree."
- Joyce Kilmer.
When you look at calendars that feature beachscapes from Hawaii, the Far
East and the West Indies you always see coconut palms. Take a picture of
a Bahamian beach and, if there are any trees at all, there will be casuarinas.
Casuarinas come to us from Australia and are pervasive. They take over.
Many countries - and our neighbouring state of Florida - have declared
war on casuarinas. It is only now that people in The Bahamas are wondering
where all those trees came from and what to do about them.
Nothing, by and large. If you were able to remove all the casuarinas in
The Bahamas at one fell swoop, you'd have to buy a lot of beach umbrellas
to replace them. Casuarinas are, often enough, the only shade we can find
at the beach.
Some of the defenders of the casuarina are somewhat misguided. They say
the trees protect the beach against erosion, which is true only while they
stand. The roots of casuarina trees are shallow and spread over the ground
instead of establishing tap roots. Visit Bahama Palm Shores if you want
to find out how resistant casuarinas are to quite mild hurricanes. They
heel over very readily.
Don't rush out and cut down your casuarina trees, however. What else will
you have to give you shade? Their greatest virtue is: they are there. If
you have beachfront property and wish to remove your casuarinas, cut them
down low - just enough to give shade -and keep them alive while you raise
out at least four or five years of substitute growth before you do remove
them. The roots of the reduced trees will help prevent sand erosion but
will not have enough wind resistance to be blown over.
The native plants you use to replace them are within easy reach, just down
the shore a little. And they're free.
Instead of declaring war on casuarinas, place an embargo against them.
And if you like casuarinas, by all means keep them.