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Wilderness and Native Plants

Native plants are the cornerstone of wilderness areas
California's millions of acres of unprotected wild lands contain thousands of plant species, in addition to a vast array of other life forms, including lichens, fungi, mosses, insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. The richness of plant species contributes to hundreds of plant communities unique to the Golden State.

Wilderness protects native habitats
Wilderness designation is an essential tool for preserving native habitats. Without wilderness designation, many native plant habitats, communities, and species will be threatened by off-road vehicle use, logging, mining and development.

Over 226 rare, threatened or endangered plant species live in California's unprotected wild places. Yet the increasing development and land use pressures expected in the 21st Century imperil their existence. Designation of new wilderness areas is our best hope for preservation of these species.

The Mt. Lassic potential wilderness area in the Six Rivers National Forest is an example. This area contains a unique array of sensitive and endemic plant species, including the incomparably beautiful Lassics lupine. While a portion of the Lassics habitat range is recognized as the Lassics Botanical Area, much of it remains open to post-fire logging and off-road vehicle use.

The Wilderness Act states that wilderness areas are places where "the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man." While people may visit, these areas are protected from high-impact uses like road building, vehicle use, development, logging and mining. In designated wilderness areas, native plants and their many associated life forms have the opportunity to continue to thrive and evolve. Creating legally protected wilderness is the surest way to leave an intact natural legacy for future generations.

Wilderness designation can help counter invasive weeds
Invasion by habitat-destroying non-native weed species is now considered to be the second most important threat to biological diversity in the United States; only direct habitat destruction poses a greater threat. Exotic plant species can crowd out native plants and disrupt native ecosystems in many ways. Large blocks of undisturbed land, designated as wilderness, are far less vulnerable to this invasion.

Currently, weeds on public lands in the western United States are spreading at an alarming rate of 1,500 acres per day. Scientists now estimate that exotic species threaten two-thirds of all endangered species in the United States, and one-third of those in California.

In fact, this invasion of exotic species may soon become the number one threat to the ecological health of natural communities across the United States. Over 1,000 exotic species have become established in California, threatening the ecological integrity of millions of acres of land. Star thistle alone has infested over eight million acres in California, with over three quarters of this invasion occurring within the past three decades! To protect our unique flora, we must keep the invasive species out.

High-impact land uses are the primary cause of weed invasions. The clearing of land for farming or development, overgrazing, and road construction are often cited as the leading vectors for weedy exotics. A federal task force on non-native plants found that "the source of many weed infestations has been traced to roads, trails, railroads and other travel corridors."

Wilderness designation prevents drastic alternations to the landscape, thus eliminating opportunities for the spread of exotic species. Roads and motorized vehicles are also prohibited by wilderness designation, preventing another leading cause of weed invasion.

Wilderness areas are managed to permanently protect their natural character, thus preserving native plants in their habitats in perpetuity.

For more information
For more information about how you can help to protect California's last wild places, contact the California Wilderness Coalition at (510) 451-1450 or info@calwild.org.