The best way to clean

Follow me here, I really do have a theme today.....
The first involves nature's way of clearing the woods.... fire. The Washington Post takes a look at the debate over whether to suppress or encourage wildfires. We've gone from putting out every fire to what's being called "a culture of fire" in the wild. Is the pendelum swinging too wildly? Or just beginning to swing?
The second comes from a long (trust me, really long) debate that's been going on over on the land trust listserv over whether it's okay to get rid of poison ivy, and if it is, what's the best way to do it? (The consensus seems to be, it's okay in areas where people will come in contact with it. And Round-up works, but paint it on the leaves, don't just spray.) That lead to a debate on the effects of pesticides in general, and Round-up in particular. This reprint from Le Monde raises some interesting questions about Round-up. I've used it around the house as a weed killer, and can attest to its effectiveness. But now with the rise of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's), Round-up may have side effects that haven't been foreseen. Check out the articles and debate amongst yourselves....
See, I told you I had a theme.