WILLOWWEAVERS TASMANIA: THE WORLD OF WILLOW GROWING

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FOREWORD: IN AUSTRALIA/TASMANIA willows have become a problem and the ONEdimensional kneeJERK reaction reaction has been ... IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ... and so Willows Are A Declared Weed, but it's WEEDstatus is somewhat more complex. The simple thing to do is to treat ALL WILLOWS EVERYWHERE as VILLANplants albeit that status is not always relevant or intellectually sustainable. Given that Australian/Tasmanian CULTURALlandscapes are colonial constructions by-and-large consequently it is intellectual folly to assume one-size-fits-all assumptions fit every circumstance everywhere all the time.

Arguably wherever 'willows' [1] - [2] - [3] are present the CULTURALlandscape in Australia is a COLONIALconstruct but not necessarily an ecologically sound or well managed ecology given the profit driven 'corner cutting'. Willow's assumed recalcitrance is typically misplaced and all too often asserted in an atmosphere of PREMEDITATEDignorance.

That is the deliberate choice to remain uninformed or ignore information, often for reasons to avoid responsibility, cognitive dissonance, or inconvenient truths. It implies intentionally avoiding learning, questioning, or engaging with facts that might challenge one's beliefs, actions, comfort, or reliance upon the maintenance of the status quo. Here truth bumps up against 'belief'.

This concept is often seen in politics, public administration and religion, where individuals or groups purposefully dismiss evidence to maintain a particular narrative or avoid accountability.

This differs from simple ignorance, which is the absence of knowledge, because it involves an active decision to remain unaware. Seemingly, this reflects the state of many people in Eurocentric colonial mindsets today.

Interestingly, for a great may Australians 'history' is relatively short given that it'd by DEFAULTstart date is 1788. Human history in Australia spans 50,000 to 65,000 years and somewhat surreally that is ignored or contextualised in a mindset that constructs convenient 'truths'[1] to suit a circumstance – bureaucratically authoritative ecological management.

END NOTE: The may well be endemic Australian plants that will compete with willow in Australian cultural landscaping but it is just the case that by-and-large too little research, that is the CULTURALgeography, has been done. However, a study comparing Salix fragilis (Crack Willow) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis found that native eucalyptus leaves support 100 times more autotrophic biofilm biomass than willow leaves. This means native trees dramatically outperform willows in driving healthy primary production and supporting native grazing invertebrates. Nonetheless, as a BLANKETunderstanding in many CULTURALlandscapes this may be of little utility.

In constructing sustainable ecosystems within mindsets and CULTURALlandscapes it is worth being mindful of say some bamboo species that may offer competitive alternatives. It is always worthwhile being mindful of the alternatives and Gilbert K. Chesterton's words ... "A puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things."