Switching Gears: Monarchs and Milkweed

The AERC was the vision of Formosa Founder Y.C. Wang and tasked with conducting research to explore strategies for environmentally friendly agriculture. Over the last eight years, that focus has evolved in response to changes in the environment and Formosa Plastics’ growing involvement in sustainable land use. 

“It started in 2015 when the AERC entered into a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to grow milkweed plants that could attract monarch butterflies and help restore the species’ declining numbers,” said Curtis Short, lead scientist at the AERC. “Milkweed is the only plant monarch butterflies consume and our initial goal was to produce enough plants to provide food plots on Formosa properties as well as providing plants to the USFWS for distribution to other organizations. This original project became the catalyst for a completely different operational strategy at the AERC. We quickly moved from basic soil science research and into applied land resource management.” 

The AERC produces upwards of 3,640 native milkweed plants annually. All of the milkweed plants produced either die back in the winter months, or are consumed by the monarch butterflies onsite. In the next season, approximately 35% regenerate from the roots. As an offshoot, Short began a trial “butterfly nursery” at the AERC in 2020. “To date, we have two greenhouses dedicated to milkweed production and, not surprisingly, during that process we began to find monarch caterpillars on milkweed plants in our greenhouses.” said Short. “Initially, we found about 20 caterpillars which needed structure nearby for chrysalis formation, so we set up a trial nursery. Then we went looking for more.” 

Several containers of milkweed were planted at the Formosa Plastics site in Point Comfort as an additional source of caterpillars: This turned out to be an extraordinarily successful experiment. “Well over half the 100+ caterpillars we collected and raised came from those milkweed plants placed near the entrance to the  Point Comfort site,” said Short.

All the Buzz: Bees and Trees

As one square in the environmental sustainability matrix, Formosa Plastics developed a long-term sustainability goal which was a perfect fit for the AERC: “Reforestation applications to provide wildlife and pollinator habitat, increase rainfall interception while capturing carbon…”. 

In 2020, the AERC team began investigating strategies for concurrent production of honeybees (pollinators), native flowering plants (nectar sources) and native trees (carbon sequestration and improved rainfall interception). By the summer of 2020, Curtis Short and his team had developed successful seed germination protocols for drought resistant native-Texas pollinator species and began production of plants. 

“Ultimately the team wants to plant most of Formosa’s suitable wetlands and rangelands with thriving, carbon sequestering trees. We believe it is a smart, timely land management strategy and, moreover, it is doable” Short explained.

As of 2023, 19 different species of native trees are cultivated in the AERC’s greenhouse and transplanted to the surrounding fields, with varying degrees of success. Many experiments are being run to establish the trees before transplanting, and discovering ideal conditions for growth. In addition to native species, there are three non-native species grown; grapefruit trees, olive trees, and persimmon trees. 

In tandem with nectar source planting, the AERC team began investigating honeybee production on the AERC grounds. “Worldwide, bee populations have experienced a significant decline” said Short. “These insects are critical to not only the general ecology of the planet but to all agricultural production that relies on insect pollination.” 

The AERC team began beehive construction and identified a site for placement of the hives such that nectar plants could be established on the site periphery. Coincidentally, Formosa Plastics staff were approached with a proposal from a local Agriculture Sciences teacher about the possibility of partnering with the company in a honeybee propagation project at the AERC. “We jumped at the opportunity to partner with the school district in setting up apiaries.” added Short. “Although our primary goal remains that of creating more pollinator activity here, the opportunity to support and facilitate environmental education is a nice bonus.” 

Local pollinators, as well, seem to be excited about Formosa Plastics’ environmental initiatives. In mid-June, Short discovered a hulking swarm of bees busily establishing residence in one of the hives, apparently having decided to make the Formosa Plastics AERC its new home. 

It sure looks like things are starting to hum around here. 

As for future plans, Short and the AERC aim to focus on cultivating more resilient plants and trees in order to cope with increasingly prevalent weather extremes. 

About Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A.

Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. (Formosa) is a privately-held manufacturer of plastic resins and petrochemicals. Formosa is headquartered in Livingston, N.J., with plants in Baton Rouge, LA and Point Comfort, TX. The company is divided into five business units (olefins, polyolefins, vinyl, specialty polyvinyl chloride, and chlor-alkali). Formosa offers a full line of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polypropylene resins, caustic soda and other petrochemical products that deliver the consistency, performance and quality that customers demand. Formosa also markets post-consumer recycled polyethylene and polypropylene products under the FormoleneECO TM brand name. 

Formosa is committed to corporate citizenship through environmental responsibility, financial contributions, and community involvement. The company takes great care in having minimal impact on the environment and finding innovative ways to reduce waste, water usage and emissions. Formosa has an extensive water conservation and reuse program with reports showing they have not had any impact on the marine environments into which they discharge water, and have implemented large scale containment ponds in Point Comfort, TX to keep all stormwater contained onsite. Additionally, they have ambient air monitoring programs to verify their facilities do not impact the air quality surrounding their sites. 

At the community level, Formosa has established an environmental trust fund that is used for various community outreach projects such as providing a recycling program and transfer station in Point Comfort, TX to promote local recycling and providing outdoor educational opportunities to public school students at the company sponsored Formosa-Tejano Wetlands.