Myths Persist About
Poisonous Holiday Plants
CREAMERY (Montgomery
Co.) Some reports about poi
sonous holiday plants are as
mythical as tales of Santa, says a
Penn Stale horticultural specialist.
“Certain holiday plants believed
to be fatal if eaten are relatively
harmless, while others are truly
toxic,” says Dr. J. Robert Nuss,
professor of ornamental horticul
ture in Penn State’s College of
Agriculture. “The bottom line is
that children and pets can’t make
the distinction between what’s
dangerous and what isn’t. It’s best
to keep plants out of their reach
until they learn not to put
unknown substances into their
mouths.” Many people persist in
believing that that most popular
Christmas plant, the poinsettia, is
extremely poisonous. “People
allergic to the plant’s milky sap
can develop a rash if it gels on
their hands,” says Nuss. “But the
poinsettia isn’t fatal if eaten. If a
child or pet accidentally eats any
part of the plant, at the worst they
might experience some stomach
discomfort.”
About 20 years ago, two Ohio
State researcher fed large quanti
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ties of poinsettia parts to rats, with
no ill effects in 1975, the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Com
mission exonerated the poinsettia
of the false charge that it is lethal
if ingested.
The commission also refuted
allegations that the berries of
American mistletoe are fatal if
eaten. “But mistletoe is not
intended for human consumption
and should be placed out of the
reach of children,” says Nuss.
“Berries that fall from the sprig
should be removed from the floor
immediately before children and
pets arc tempted to eat them.”
About 700 plants arc known to
be poisonous. Among them arc
these holiday plants: holly, ivy,
Jerusalem cherry, laurel, rho
dodendron and yew. If a child or
pet accidentally ingests these
plants, consult a physician or vet
erinarian immediately. Do not
induce vomiting without the
advice of a doctor. If a plant con
taining corrosive juices has been
eaten, vomiting can damage the
digestive tract. The Poison Infor
mation Center for Pennsylvania is
1-800-352-7001.
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HAPPENINGS
4-H Horse Champion
Lisa Pannebecker, a 12-year old
rider out of Sweigart’s Stables in
Denver, recently won the Pennsyl
vania State 4-H Championship at
the Farm Show Complex in
Harrisburg.
Riding in just her second 4-H
tournament, she took first place in
the Junior Division Saddle Seat
Pleasure and Saddle Seat Equita
tion aboard her horse. Visions
Mystic Ray.
Pannebecker has been riding for
just three years, so winning is
somewhat of a new experience for
her. However, this is old hat for her
horse. The 18-year old Ray was
ridden by Brook Sweigart-Reider
in 1982, when the pair won the
State Junior Reserve Equitation
championship. The two also won
back-to-back State Senior champ
ionships in 1984 and 1985, and
competed in the national 4-H event
in 1986.
Pannebecker competes for the
Broken Bit 4-H Club, and is the
daughter of Dean and Patty
Pannebecker.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 2, 1993-815
Lisa Pannebecker rides Visions Mystic Ray. Photo by Pre
ston Whltcraft, Ephrata Review.
Woodland News
{Continued from Page B 14)
directly into the forest floor and eventually into streams,
rivers and reservoirs.
Foresters can also build a forest that is relatively water
efficient. By planting hardwood trees, which use less
water than evergreens, foresters can assure that more
water will leave the forest and flow to populated areas
badly in need of it.
Foresters can also manage a watershed to influence the
timing of water flows. For example, by harvesting trees
on a south slope of a hill instead of a north slope, foresters
can actually increase stream flow in the early spring and
decrease flows in late summer. Sounds like hocus pocus?
Well it’s really quite logical. Because the sun shines
brightest on south-facing slopes, removing trees there
exposes the snow to direct sunlight and allows it to melt
faster than it otherwise would.
Forestry and watershed management have been intert
wined disciplines since as far back as 1500 B.C. when the
Chinese altered their forests to regulate stream flow onto
irrigated fields. Much later, in 1897, the U.S. Congress
established the national forest system and cited watershed
management as one of the chief purposes of managing the
public forests.
Since those bygone days, forest hydrologists have
advanced the discipline of watershed management con
siderably, using scientific research to lead the way. As a
result, experts believe water supply can be greatly
expanded by using more of what we know.
Now I’ll add a few thoughts of my own. As you can
sec, a scientific basis has been established on which fore
stland decisions can be made. Today, however, more peo
ple are seeing the forest as more than a place to produce
timber, wildlife, and water. Some groups see a need for
their special interest (such as the Spotted Owl) and all the
scientific data for other forest products go out the win
dow. That’s when the professional managers run into
problems.
Here are a few more forestry facts for your
consideration:
• 483 million acres of U.S. forestland arc suitable for
timber production. About 20 percent of this land is man
aged by the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Bureau of
Land Management, and other federal agencies. About 15
percent is managed by forest industries. About 8 percent
is managed by state and local governments. The remain
ing 57 percent is managed by nonindustnal private
landowners.
• The area of forest burned by uncontrolled wildfire in
the United Stales has been reduced from 40-50 million
acres a year in the early 1930 s to an average of 2-4 mil
lion acres a year.
• Total volume of wood in U.S. forests is now 25 per
cent greater than it was in 1952.
• There are more acres of forestland in Pennsylvania
now than 30 years ago.
All of this points but that our community leaders, when
thinking about planning the future of our forests and
woodlands, should collect as many facts a» possible about
a situation before making decisions. It also points out that
special interest groups may not always be pushing for the
right decision for the greatest good of the greatest number
of people.
A