Forgive me for using conspiracy in the title of this post, but I recently ran across a 'discussion' about climate change where the conspiracy theory was being thrown about rather freely. As in, climate change is being pushed by people (like Al Gore!?!!) who stand to make vast fortunes on carbon credits, electric cars, solar panels, etc. while also crippling the U.S. economy so the third world can catch up to us. (Those evil America-hating liberals!) The Big Government is using this to take away our traditional American incandescent light bulbs for Pete's sake! And of course, there's the old charge that this is all a concoction of greedy scientists trying to get money to 'study' the problem.
Well, the conspiracy theorists are going to have to add the USDA to their list, along with another beneficiary of Climate Change lies: the Japanese Maple industry.
More below the Orange Omnilepticon.
About an hour from where I live is the George Landis Arboretum, a local institution that's been around for years. It's a biological treasure house. You don't often hear much about such places, but they are invaluable in preserving a rich reserve of biological diversity and important genetic stocks. It's impossible to exaggerate how important such collections can be, the threats they're facing, and how they are even more important in the face of shifting climate patterns.
One of the means of raising funds to support Landis Arboretum activities is by having annual plant sales; they advise people on what can be expected to do well where they live, and suggest plants for problem areas. Part of that is keeping up with United States Department of Agriculture recommendations. Well, the Albany Times Union has an update on the latest from the USDA and how the arboretum is taking it into account.
USDA divided the country into 26 climate sub-zones, with each zone representing another five degrees in the coldest winter temperature, ranging from 60 below to 65 above.
Twenty years ago, said [Arboretum Executive Fred] Breglia, the arboretum occupied zone 5a, which meant the coldest it would get on average would be 20 below zero. The new map has the arboretum in zone 5b, which reflects winters temperatures of no less than 15 below.
Over the years, the 5a zone has gradually retreated about 15 miles north to the other side of the Mohawk River, according to the new map.
For the last several years, during the 500-acre arboretum's annual plant sales, Breglia has even been selling some zone 6 plants, like Japanese maples and forest pansy, which tolerate temperatures of no more than 10 below.
"People come in and are surprised, but I say, yes, that particular plant can probably live here, depending on your local conditions" he said. The next plant sale at the not-for-profit center is May 19-20.
There you have it - it's a plot I tell you, to displace our native American trees with foreign invaders like the Japanese Maple! The USDA is full of this conspiracy - it's actively promoting it. The Times Union has more on how the USDA is propagating climate change in the minds of the public.
The new maps uses temperature data gathered over 30 years, and from many meteorology stations.
It takes into consideration factors that include nearby bodies of water and topography. It uses GPS -- global positioning system -- technology for the first time.
"This is the most sophisticated Plant Hardiness Zone Map yet for the United States," Catherine Woteki, undersecretary for research, education and economics for the USDA, said in a news statement Wednesday.
The map will be useful for large commercial nurseries that want to know when and where to ship spring plants.
It can also give botanists additional data as they study things like the spread of invasive plants.
But backyard gardeners may find it useful as well.
Darryl Newman, one of the owners of Planter's Choice, a nursery in Newtown, said that today garden owners are always researching new plants on the Internet.
"It's global plant community," he said.
The national Liberal Mainstream Media is pushing this USDA story as well.
You know, sooner or later you have to admit it's one hell of a conspiracy when even plants are in on it.