DCC no longer cutting grass verges, reasoning…..biodiversity.

mickdw · 13-08-2023 11:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120972844#Comment_120972844

Just look at Hawaii, evidence of 5 percent of the island being burned annually for thousands of years.

Now man has introduced non native grasses that are acknowledged to be a large contributing factor to increased burning yet the mainstream media just report the burning scenes in context of climate emergency.

I'm just making the wider point that everything is not simply raised temperatures causing problems, there are issues around management of forest, grass lands etc that are significantly contributing, also issues around flooding. Some of this poor management is due to shortsighted green policy.

magicbastarder · 13-08-2023 11:16pm

so.. you're saying we should mow the verges? lest we burn?

Seth Brundle · 13-08-2023 11:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120974598#Comment_120974598

So in a thread about DCC not cutting verges to help insects, you're suggesting that councils in Hawaii have done the same which has resulted in wildfires. Have you a source to show how the Hawaiian councils have caused these fires or are you putting 2 + 2 together to get 100?

magicbastarder · 13-08-2023 11:24pm

DCC has clearly introduced non native flammable grasses to the verges in Dublin?

amacca · 13-08-2023 11:37pm

Persobally I have no issue with them not cutting verges etc...if it provides habitat and aids in a more biodiverse environment ...then that's ultimately a good thing for all...who wants to live in an rnvitonment slowly becoming a wasteland anyway

Some caveats however...it probably is just a cost saving measure which is fine but if the money is there it should perhaps be redirected towards cleaning the areas up if they do become areas rubbish/plastic bottles /shite build up in etc

pixelburp · 14-08-2023 6:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120974598#Comment_120974598

Source please.

While you're at it you can explain what the F that has to do with DCC and Ireland trying to encourage insects and pollinators back into our eco system by way of no cutting verges.

Shoog · 14-08-2023 7:09am

The whole fire distraction is just whataboutary. There is a whole group out there who believe that any environmental policy is part of a woke conspiracy against them. Frankly their beyond reason and help. Watch them though because one day they might come for you with guns.

SuperBowserWorld · 14-08-2023 7:12am

Edit .... This is a real annoying click bait thread title that just winds up everyone ...

DCC not buying nukes ... reason ... Nuclear Armageddon 😁

Can the people who don't want biodiversity and nature and a healthy environment go **** live in some concrete **** jungle somewhere and eat some **** chicken or pig grown in a cage that's been fed with antibiotics. 🙄

My local council is cutting the grass verges. And they let them grow during an important time of the year for biodiversity. Has looked great at all times. The native wildflowers were beautiful.

Edit ...

If you have a problem with litter and dog **** in the grass ... Well that's a different problem that the local residents should be able to solve with the help of the council..

Edit ..

Also, non native plants like Winter Heliotrope... It's everywhere ... And smothers out all the other plants ...Not sure how that can be tackled in a green way without goats 😁

Edit ..

Also saves money.

iniscealtra · 14-08-2023 7:25am

I like the flowers. They leave it to grow for the summer and mow in September when they’ve seeded. A lot more interesting than a bowling green. Looks more alive.

Agree regarding rubbish picking. Funds should be invested in that.

pixelburp · 14-08-2023 7:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120974945#Comment_120974945

Basically. This cartoon has always stuck with me for cutting to the nub of it all.

Oh no it's a hoax it turned out; we made a clean, self-sufficient world for nothing 🙄🤭

prunudo · 14-08-2023 7:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120974598#Comment_120974598

You're wasting your breathe, can't dare raise a counter point about biodiversity or climate change. Straight away you're told your a climate denier and don't want to see a better world. Have seen the same thing, creep into any mainstream topic the last few years.

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 7:38am

Has someone accused him of being a 'climate denier'? Whatever that is.

14-08-2023 7:52am

I’m fine with letting the verges grow. They seem to mow a foot or 2 into the verges which seems fine.

pixelburp · 14-08-2023 7:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120974977#Comment_120974977

By all means, propose a sensible counterpoint to why encouraging wild growth in otherwise scrub , pointless grass areas is a bad thing without trotting out straw insults and presumptions.

I've seen no real arguments about why we shouldn't encourage wild areas beyond utterly ludicrous whataboutery over forest fires. Until sensible contrarian points are offered, that kind of nonsense is gonna getn mocked

prunudo · 14-08-2023 7:57am

Honestly, the fact you think the concern about fire and how the areas are managed should be mocked says it all.

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 7:58am

For those interested in the topic, I can recommend getting a copy of 'the forgiveness of nature' by Graham Harvey. It's a book about grass. Starts off talking about football pitches and ends up deep in ecology.

But along the way he goes into why we have an obsession with a nice well cut lawn, and a lot of it is social climbing. Back in the day, you could only afford a good lawn if you were rich, so they became a status symbol.

And a lot is about meadows and the difference between lawns and actual grasslands.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/sep/01/scienceandnature.highereducation

_Kaiser_ · 14-08-2023 7:58am

Personally speaking I hate bugs and insects buzzing/creeping around me (though I've yet to meet a bug a can of Raid can't deal with!) and I keep my 15 foot triangle of grass outside very short for neatness. This "biodiversity" craze of late just looks sloppy and messy and its main achievement seems to be a dose of the feelz for those who need to show they care.

Having driven a lot over the weekend on rural roads that in many cases are barely wide enough for one car let alone 2, the overgrown nature and danger it poses to sightlines and road positioning is very obvious. That said, where they do maintain the edges as in some of the example photos in this thread, it's an acceptable compromise but I think it is a convenient way of saving money and effort too - though if that money went into resurfacing some of the shockingly bad (N)ational-road I was going up and down over the last few days I could live with it.

pixelburp · 14-08-2023 8:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975011#Comment_120975011

You think there are parallels to draw between how Irish councils maintain "wild" areas, and sensible (or the lack thereof) fire management in forests with hot & dry climates?

Don't play superior; engage, if you're serious. Explain how there is a relationship between two completely unrelated and different ecosystems.

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 8:03am

Again, that rural road issue is not the same thing, though. If the roads are becoming dangerous, report them to the council.

And as I mentioned, that's not a new thing either. I cycle a lot of rural roads, and avoiding brambles and other plants sticking out from the side is part of cycling this time of year.

pixelburp · 14-08-2023 8:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975014#Comment_120975014

But along the way he goes into why we have an obsession with a nice well cut lawn, and a lot of it is social climbing. Back in the day, you could only afford a good lawn if you were rich, so they became a status symbol.

Yup, it's insane this is a holdover from the impulse towards Social Climbing; look how rich I am, I have grass & can afford to keep it short and manicured. I see a good few neighbours have simply removed their small bit of grass front and replaced it with astro-turf; honestly while I think it's a bit yuck to look at (and oddly, still gets weeds[??]), if you're not interested in gardening then it's a sensible choice.

We have a small set of bushes and arrangement of flowers. There's a large trailing rose(?) bush whose spiked branches can trail into the common footpath if I'm not careful with maintenance. Otherwise I think a vaguely "wild" ish area is a much more attractive thing to look out at than a snooker table of grass.

Half as Interesting explains America's obsession with grass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQaMr3UHOWE

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 8:15am

I've read that in the UK, demand for artificial grass has something like halved. That it's not nearly as maintenance free as it's made out to be, but there's also concern about microplastics being shed from it (though that issue is hardly likely to dent sales).

SuperBowserWorld · 14-08-2023 8:17am

Astro turf lawns ...

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/31/plastic-lawn-backlash-fake-grass

Fighting Tao · 14-08-2023 8:19am

From reading this thread it appears to boil down to one moan…”I don’t like the look of it”.

I’ve let about 65% of my garden go wild since March/April and it’s amazing to see flowers bloom they I never saw before. Also the range of butterflies, dragonflies, birds, etc. that weren’t here in previous years. My neighbours keep their grass cut and hedges perfectly manicured and their gardens are devoid of wildlife (apart from rabbits that seem to love digging in the short grass).

prunudo · 14-08-2023 8:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975040#Comment_120975040

I was saying this 5 years ago, so much so I refused to lay it, people looked at me sideways when I explained the reasons, people thought it was this great invention and bought in on the lie of 'no maintenance'. Replacing real grass with plastic, what a farce, now there will be even more plastic going to land fill.

ZookeeperDub · 14-08-2023 8:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975040#Comment_120975040

The biggest issue was dodgy builder who just killed the grass with spray and then fired it down. Guess what grass is really hard to kill and most used the cheap artificial grass so soon after you would have weeds etc growing up between it. Also draining is a huge issue so you could end up with a little pond if it rained much, but sure it doesn't rain much in Ireland....:-)

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 8:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975029#Comment_120975029

It's even down to *how* you mow your lawn. I've had a few comments over the years that would imply some people think I'm a little eccentric because I use an old style mower. 'would you not buy a real one' sort of comments. Not that many to be fair; I guess they're almost a novelty now.

I did make a mistake recently, I retired our twelve year old qualcast one and bought a Bosch (noticeably better quality) but that won't fit between the raised veg beds, which I'd deliberately spaced to accommodate the old mower.

SuperBowserWorld · 14-08-2023 8:33am

From a purely selfish point of view ...the bottom line is that green, clean, healthy areas will always be at a premium and demand premium prices.

You can demand this from your council, government and contribute to this for yourself and future generations.

But ... the original intent of this thread was about DCC saving money Vs giving a crap about biodiversity. I.e. greenwashing or not

magicbastarder · 14-08-2023 8:59am

is it about biodiversity, or is it about money?

ZookeeperDub · 14-08-2023 9:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975074#Comment_120975074

I don't buy it is DCC saving money. They will have a long term contract with the people cutting grass or in the larger area like Fingal they have their own staff. So how much are they saving?

I don't live in DCC anymore but in our area we have a biodiversity group who are also the tidy towns. They have a push on now for a few years not to cut grass real short, they also want sections outside houses or in house left uncut all year around and used to give out signs. When driving around the roads here you would see loads of houses that had a green area out the front with a big sign and a section uncut

We also got a load of native trees donated by the County Council to plant around the area and in garden if they could stay in that garden long term.

If DCC or whichever county council is saving money and then using that money for new playgrounds etc then its a win win for everyone.

Shoog · 14-08-2023 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120975011#Comment_120975011

Just about the only issue with fires in Ireland are down to farmers burning fields which get out of control. This line of argument with regard to verges is pure whataboutary.

DCC no longer cutting grass verges, reasoning…..biodiversity.

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