Townsend, Tenn. – A new conservation program launched by the
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont hopes to protect one of
the most
diverse ecosystems on the planet by working with an unlikely ally:
real estate developers.
When businesses and homeowners use landscaping to enhance the look and
appeal of their property, they often unwittingly introduce invasive exotic
plants that can have potentially destructive effects. To highlight the
risks posed by exotics and promote the benefits of using native plants,
the Institute at Tremont has created a Native Landscape Certification
Program (NLCP).
“
We want to inform developers about the environmental concerns with exotic
plants,” says Ken Voorhis, executive director of the Great Smoky
Mountains Institute at Tremont. “We hope that they will join
us in the battle to maintain the native ecosystem.”
A healthy ecosystem, the combination of all living and non-living elements
in an area, depends on native plants because they are well adapted to
the specific geographic region. Native plants form complex relationships
with other plants and animals, and they are resistant to insect and animal
predation.
Conversely, exotic plants can quickly take over an area and create a
biological tragedy. Voorhis says an example of the potential damage with
exotics is kudzu, a non-native plant that today covers thousands of acres
in the Southeast and costs millions of dollars annually to keep under
control. The NLCP seeks to prevent the introduction of another species
with kudzu-like consequences.
The certification program is receiving positive feedback from developers
and recently signed its first member. The Estates at Norton Creek,
a luxury property on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains
National
Park, has agreed to follow the Institute’s guidelines and recommendations
to promote the use of native plants in landscaping.
“
We are pleased to be the first participant of this very important and
innovative program,” says Robin Turner, developer of the Estates
at Norton Creek. “Since the moment we purchased the property, we
wanted this to be a development that appreciates the beauty of the Great
Smoky Mountains and protects the nature that surrounds us. This certification
is one way we are fulfilling this commitment. It’s assurance
that we will encourage our homeowners to follow our lead.”
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where prohibited by law.