Grass Scapes

This Research Topic is hosted in partnership with the "Grazing in Future Multi-Scapes" international workshop. The workshop will be held online, 30th May - 5th June 2021. Throughout different landscapes of the world, “grazing” herbivores fulfill essential roles in ecology, agriculture, economies and cultures including: families, farms, and communities. Not only do livestock provide food and wealth, they also deliver ecosystem services through the roles they play in environmental composition, structure and dynamics. Grazing, as a descriptive adjective, locates herbivores within a spatial and temporal pastoral context where they naturally graze or are grazed by farmers, ranchers, shepherds etc. In many cases, however, pastoralism with the single objective of maximizing animal production and/or profit has transformed landscapes, diminishing biodiversity, reducing water and air quality, accelerating loss of soil and plant biomass, and displacing indigenous animals and people. These degenerative landscape transformations have jeopardized present and future ecosystem and societal services, breaking the natural integration of land, water, air, health, society and culture. Land-users, policy makers and societies are calling for alternative approaches to pastoral systems; a call for diversified-adaptive and integrative agro-ecological and food-pastoral-systems designs that operate across multiple scales and ‘scapes’ (e.g. thought-, social-, land-, food-, health-, wild-scapes), simultaneously. There needs to be a paradigm shift in pastoral production systems and how grazing herbivores are managed –grazed- within them, derived initially from a change in perception of how they provide wealth. The thoughtscapes will include paradigm shifts where grazers move away from the actual archetype of pastoralism, future landscapes are re-imagined, and regenerative and sustainable management paradigms are put in place to achieve these visions. From this will come a change in collective thinking of how communities and cultures (socialscapes) perceive their relationships with pastoral lands. The landscapes are the biotic and abiotic four-dimensional domains or environments in need of nurture. Landscapes are the tables where humans and herbivores gain their nourishment, i.e. foodscapes. Foodscapes and dietary perceptions, dictate actions and reactions that are changing as developed countries grapple with diseases related to obesity, and people starve in developing countries. Societies are demanding healthscapes and nutraceutical foodscapes, and paradoxically, some are moving away from animal products. While indigenous species of animals, including humans (wildscapes), have been displaced from many of their lands by monotonic pastoralism, multifunctional pastoral systems can be designed in view of dynamic multi-scapes of the future. The purpose of this Research Topic is to influence future mental and practical models of pastoralism in continually evolving multi-scapes. We seek a collection of papers that will cultivate such a shift in thinking towards future models of sustainable multipurpose pastoralism. The contributions will be synthesized to establish how multifunctional pastoral systems can be re-imagined and then designed in view of the integrative dynamics of sustainable future multi-scapes.

Expert grass breeders reveal the amazing diversity of ornamental grasses in this beautifully illustrated book. Gardeners are shown how grasses, unlike other plants, offer texture, shape, color, movement, and even sound to create a dramatic and calming effect in any landscape design. Grass forms and uses are detailed, terminology is explained, and proper grass maintenance and care are outlined. Gardeners also learn about how to get the most out of grasses in the summer, fall, and winter seasons. One hundred different grasses are shown and described in the "Grasses at a Glance" section, and simple garden plans show how easily grasses can be placed in gardens and landscapes.

Expert grass breeder Martin Quinn and writer Catherin Macleod reveal the amazing diversity of ornamental grasses in this beautiful book. Unlike other plants, grasses offer texture, shape, colour, movement and even sound to create a dramatic and calming effect. They thrive in a variety of conditions, require little maintenance and are suitable for all garden types. With this comprehensive book, you too can transform your garden into an inviting oasis.--COVER.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1925.

In Tablescapes: Setting the Table with Style and Flair, socialite, high-end event planner, and consummate hostess Kimberly Schlegel Whitman shows how to set the stage for special-occasion meals by setting a beautifully creative table with flair and panache. Featuring some of the most exquisite china, silver, and crystal, Whitman shows how she develops decorating themes appropriate for any occasion-from sit-down dinners for a few guests or buffets for many, to bridal and baby showers, holiday dinners with the family, and al fresco parties at the beach. Personalized table coverings are one of her specialties, and this book has a plethora of ideas.

This book has been prepared to embody the major and efficient applications of the different duties and roles of grasses in our life, as well as offered a solid concept for this kind of science. The book aims to illustrate various ideas, methods and how it is treated in the agronomic process for different forms of grasses in human life.