CCAMMO stands for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Management Options and is an interdisciplinary project with the goal of providing a state-of-the-science analysis of forest management options to guide natural resource decision making in the face of future climate change.  The project is being led by the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and involves SRS scientists, university scientists, and partners in other state and federal agencies throughout the southern U.S.  It builds on the Southern Forest Futures Project and uses projections of future land cover, climate, and human population density as a guiding framework of possible future conditions in the southern U.S.

What will CCAMMO provide for Natural Resource Managers?

Building on current and historical strengths of the SRS, as well as the interdisciplinary expertise of SRS scientists and research partners, we will develop science-based management options that could be used to reduce threats or maintain/enhance the values of the southern forest ecosystems under future climates (Table 1).

Table 1.  Threats and values of southern forest ecosystems

What are the Key Attributes of CCAMMO?

CCAMMO addresses critical concepts related to ecosystem resilience, vulnerability, and risk using common definitions and a consistent conceptual framework. Although CCAMMO utilizes the most relevant and recent science, it is more than a literature review.  CCAMMO brings together science experts and land managers from various disciplines and regions throughout the south to combine science, models, and on-the-ground experience to develop management options.  Utilizing decades of environmental monitoring data and silvicultural studies from experimental forests are among the key aspects of CCAMMO.

Process

CCAMMO was originally developed by a team of scientists and stakeholders at a workshop in Raleigh, NC in early spring 2010.  Since that time, science teams have been analyzing data, applying models, interpreting potential responses, and developing management options.  Science teams are using a consistent approach and databases for current and future land use and climate change projections.   Where possible, specific analyses are being conducted by eco-regions defined by the Southern Forest Future project (Figure 1) and case studies are being used to provide examples of how information can be applied in a local management context.

Figure 1.  Ecoregions used to develop specific management options.

Anticipated Research Products

The primary research product from CCAMMO will be a peer reviewed document published both in hard-copy and web-based (Figure 2).  This document will serve as the foundation for various products that will be developed and implemented to ensure effective technology transfer, such as podcasts, webinars, workshops, etc.

Figure 2.  Outline for CCAMMO book.

• Introduction
• Future Scenarios for the South
• Vulnerability and Risk Concepts & Assessments
  • Ecological and Economic
  • Social Vulnerability
• Wildfire
• Insects, Disease, Invasives
• Timber, Fiber, C Sequestration 
• Water Quality & Quantity
• Species and Habitats
  • Wildlife
  • Aquatic
  • Plants
• Recreation
• Integration & Interactions

Timeline

We anticipate that the document will be ready for peer review in October 2011 and the final product available by January 2012.

For More Information:

• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Management Options (CCAMMO)

Contact

James Vose
SRS Forest Watershed Science Project Leader
jvose@fs.fed.us
828-524-2128 x. 114

Cogongrass [Imperata cylindrical (L.) Beauv.] and Brazilian satintail (I. brasiliensis Trin.) are aggressive, colony-forming dense erect perennial grasses 1 to 6 feet (30 to 180 cm) in height. Hybridization is probable and makes differentiation difficult. Both have tufts of long leaves, yellow-green blades (each with an off-center midvein and finely saw-toothed margins), and silver-plumed flowers and seeds in spring (and sporadically year-round). Seed are dispersed by wind and on contaminated clothing, equipment, and products like pinestraw mulch and fill materials. Seed viability appears at this time to be significantly less in northern Florida and southern Georgia and higher in southern Alabama and Mississippi.

Dense stands of dried plants remain standing during winter to present a severe fire hazard, while remaining green year round in central and southern Florida. These species burn hot even when green.

Infestations form dense rhizome mats make eradication difficult, because abundant shoot and rhizome buds usually sprout after treatment or lay dormant to sprout within months or years. Rhizomes are sharp-tipped and can pierce roots of other plants. Older infestations will be more difficult to control than new invasions, which occur as circular patches.

Both species are Federal and State Noxious Weeds, while red tipped cultivars are still sold and planted in many southern states. These cultivars, bred for cold hardiness, have viable pollen that might spread to the invasive cogongrass plants. Red cultivars can revert to the green aggressive type. Some southern states prohibit the sale of the red cultivars. For more details, visit www.cogongrass.org and other State cogongrass Web sites.

• Do not plant the red tipped cultivars (Japanese bloodgrass and Red Barron). Remove prior plantings, and control sprouts and seedlings.
• Treat when new plants are young and located through frequent surveillance of lands in infested zones.
• Minimize disturbance within miles of where this plant occurs, and anticipate wider occupation when plants are present or adjacent before management disturbance.
• Repeated cultivation and planting of aggressive grasses or herbicide resistant crops can restore pastures and croplands.
• Burning and bush mowing treatments can remove standing plants for more efficient herbicide treatments. However, burning usually causes rapid infestation expansion and can kill native shrubs and trees that constrain spread.
• Seed production can be stopped by mowing, burning, or herbicide treatments in early stages or early flowering or even shortly before flowering. However, these treatments can cause flowering/seeding as well.
• Clean seed and rhizomes from equipment and personnel working in infestations before leaving the infested site.
• Forage quality is low, eaten only when shoots are young and tender by goats, sheep, mules, and some cattle.
Recommended control procedures:


Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant when grass is at least 2 feet high and with multiple applications to regrowth at this same height: Chopper Gen 2* as a 4-percent solution (1 pint per 3-gallon mix), Arsenal AC* as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix),; when safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, a glyphosate herbicide as a 2- to 5-percent solution (8 to 20 ounces per 3-gallon mix); or combination of the Chopper Gen 2* or Arsenal AC* and a glyphosate herbicide using lowered rates of all.

Repeat before flowering in spring to suppress seed production and again in successive years for eradication.

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.
Alabama Forestry Commission's Cogongrass Control Recommendations
Cogongrass management in longleaf pine document
Cogongrass Conference Proceedings

News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
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News Release Science Contact: ]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:02 -0400 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/390 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/390 Summary

Bioenergy from woody biomass has the potential of contributing to the Nation's energy supply, where it can play a significant role in the mixture of “green,” renewable energy sources used in the future. Given the South's abundance of wood sources, the biomass industry has the potential to not only provide energy, but produce jobs in small communities across the region.

The South is already producing an array of wood energy products including: wood pellets, hog fuel for process heat, and wood chips for electricity generation. New facilities are under construction to produce ethanol and bio-diesel from wood chips. With the southern United States serving as the Nation's “woodbasket,” producing more than half of all forest products, the “wood to energy” industry is a new opportunity for economic utilization of forest resources in the region.

Southern Research Station (SRS) scientists work to develop the basic science that supports sustainable management and utilization of southern forest resources. A variety of SRS scientists are working to increase the knowledge and technology related to biomass energy conversion as well as calculating and estimating biomass production and costs. In addition, the Station provides industry and others with valuable information regarding the use of biomass/bioenergy industry in the South. SRS is uniquely positioned to continue providing basic and applied science to support the development of this emerging technology.

SRS Biomass/Bioenergy Research

• The SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, in conjunction with State partners, uses the most current inventory information to calculate estimates of biomass potentially available from several different sources for bioenergy production. For example, FIA will soon release a report looking at available biomass from logging residues, standing live residuals after harvest, mill residues, and urban wood waste in South Carolina . A unique feature of the report will provide estimates of available biomass at varying price points.
• Late last year, SRS collaborated with the Kisatchie National Forest and State and Private Forestry/Forest Health Protection to install a biomass gasification unit at the Winn Ranger District in Louisiana . The Station will use the BioMax unit to conduct biomass-to-bioenergy research, analyzing such things as whether electrical or liquid fuel output varies depending on the tree and section of tree burned. Surplus electricity is returned to the power grid.
• SRS worked with partners to develop the Biomass Site Assessment Tool (BioSAT), a comprehensive Web-based analytical dashboard for agricultural and forestry biomass. The Web site, www.BioSAT.net , will be available for public use in early 2009. The BioSAT system rapidly screens and sites cellulosic biomass collection or processing centers by zip-code tabulation area for the 33 Eastern States.
• SRS is working with partners to develop a state-of-the-issue report and an information management system on the current and emerging wood-to-energy industry in North America ( Canada and U.S. ). The project is titled “State of Wood-based Bioenergy/Biofuels Technologies and Industries in North America ” and funded by U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Partners include the University of Tennessee Office of Bioenergy Programs and Forest Products Center , SRS, Biomass Energy Resource Center , Southeastern Sun Grant Center/Sun Grant Association, and others.
• Collaborating with partners, SRS is updating the POLYSYS model to include forests and short rotation woody crops. POLYSYS is a dynamic model of the U.S. agricultural sector capable of estimating annual changes in land use and crop prices. The purpose is to add a forest module to POLYSYS so that land competition issues and a full set of biofuel feedstocks can be evaluated under a set of pre-specified scenarios.
• The Station's Forest Operations unit has made its Forest Residue Trucking Simulator (version 5) available online. Private contractors, government agencies, and municipalities use the tool to compare alternative methods of moving biomass from the forest to a wood-using facility.
• SRS is partnering with the University of Florida on the “Wood to Energy” project, which aims to increase community understanding and discussion about the possibility of using wood for energy in the South. Partners are generating outreach materials for “Biomass Ambassadors” to use in communities across the region.
• SRS scientists are analyzing drying rates for wood used in bioenergy. A study examined drying rates for loblolly pine harvested at different seasons. Natural drying is a cost-effective method of increasing the net energy value of woody biomass. The study is being expanded to include controlled tests in an environmental chamber to predict drying rates under a wider range of climatic conditions.
• SRS scientists, in collaboration with the National Forest System and private industry, recently tested innovative systems for harvesting understory forest biomass. This could be used as an alternative to prescribed fire. As a result of the field trials, industry partners have developed a commercial machine.
• SRS researchers are working with Renewable Oil International, Auburn University , and Ft. Bragg to test a fast pyrolysis system that will convert woody biomass into bio-oil. The study includes analysis of feedstock availability, costs of production, impacts, and utilization of the bio-oil.
• With funding from a USDA Forest Service biomass grant, the Station's Forest Operations unit tested new equipment to produce size-specific woody biomass feedstock for co-milling trials at Alabama Power's Gadsden , AL , power plant. This study included a variety of partners including the National Forests in Alabama , the Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development Council, Southern Company, Precision Husky Corporation, University of Alabama , and Reynolds Wood Products.
• Working with John Deere and Auburn University , the Station's Forest Operations unit is modifying a biomass bundler. The objective is to test methods of reducing the costs of biomass collection and transport.
• SRS scientists are helping to define a national strategy for biomass research and development by partnering on interagency working groups with the Department of Energy. The National Biofuels Action Plan and Working Group Reports will be the framework for coordinated Federal action.
• The Southern Forest Futures Project is projecting implications of several possible futures on the condition of the South's forests. The impacts of developing bioenergy markets in the South are being investigated including effects on landowners, timber markets, economic returns, and resource condition.
• SRS has developed a joint research facility with Auburn University and the Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts. University researchers in the Forest Service laboratory are studying gasification processes and feedstock preparation and conversion.
• Scientists from the Southern and Northern Research Stations are examining new hardwood forest management treatments on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky . The treatments will help improve forest health by removing biomass that will be used for energy production along with traditional forest products.

About the Southern Research Station

SRS is part of the Nation's largest forestry research organization – USDA Forest Service Research and Development – the leading organization for research on natural resource management and sustainability in the United States . Headquartered in Asheville , North Carolina , SRS serves 13 Southern States and beyond.

Since the beginning of the 20th Century, our researchers have excelled in studies on temperate and tropical forests, forest resources, and forest products. These studies provide a wealth of long-term data sets and conclusions on the dynamics of tree plantations and natural stands, watersheds, and wildlife habitats.

Today our staff of 130 scientists is organized into research work units within science areas, with science technicians and other support personnel who work at various locations through the region: at Federal laboratories, university campuses, and experimental forests.

2009 Research Update: Wood to Energy

Forest Service's "Economic Recovery"

Recovery.gov


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Stevin Westcott]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:03 -0400 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/139 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/139 Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda) are deciduous high climbing, twining, or trailing leguminous woody vines to 70 feet with long pinnately compound leaves and showy spring flowers. Chinese and Japanese wisterias are difficult to distinguish from one another due to possible hybridization.

Ecology. Form dense infestations where previously planted. Occur on wet to dry sites. Colonize by vines twining and covering shrubs and trees and by runners rooting at nodes when vines covered by leaf litter. Seeds water-dispersed along riparian areas. Large seed size a deterrent to animal dispersal.

History and use. Introduced from Asia in the early 1800s. Traditional southern porch vines.

Stem. Woody vines to 10 inches in diameter with infrequent alternate branching.Twigs densely short hairy. Older bark of Chinese wisteria tight and dark gray with light dots (lenticels) compared to white bark of Japanese wisteria.

Leaves. Alternate, odd pinnately compound 4 to 16 inches long, with 7 to 13 leaflets (Chinese) or 13 to 19 leaflets (Japanese), and stalks with swollen bases. Leaflets oval to elliptic with tapering pointed tips 1.6 to 3 inches long and 1 to 1.4 inches wide. Hairless to short hairy at maturity but densely silky hairy when young. Margins entire and wavy. Sessile or short petioled.

Flowers. March to May. Dangling and showy, stalked clusters (racemes) appearing when leaves emerge, 4 to 20 inches long and 3 to 3.5 inches wide. All blooming at about the same time (Chinese) or gradually from base (Japanese). Pealike flowers, corolla lavender to violet (to pink to white). Fragrant.

Fruit and seeds. July to November. Flattened legume pod, irregularly oblong to oblanceolate, 2.5 to 6 inches long and 0.8 to 1.2 inches wide. Velvety hairy, greenish brown to golden, splitting on two sides to release one to eight flat round brown seeds, each 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter.

Resemble native or naturalized American wisteria, W. frutescens (L.) Poir., which does not form extensive infestations, occurs in wet forests, flowers in June to August after leaves developed, and has 6-inch flower clusters, 9 to 15 leaflets, hairless pods, and slender old vines. Also may resemble trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. ex Bureau, which has leaflets with coarsely toothed margins.

Recommended control procedures:
Thoroughly wet all leaves (until runoff) with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant:

• July to October for successive years when regrowth appears--Tordon K® as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix), Tordon K® as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix), or Garlon 4 as a 4-percent solution (15 ounces per 3-gallon mix)
• July to September for successive years when regrowth appears a Transline® as a 0.5-percent solution in water (2 ounces per 3-gallon mix) when safety to surrounding vegetation is desired
• September to October with repeated applications--a glyphosate herbicide as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix)

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.
Transline controls a narrow spectrum of plant species.
When using Tordon herbicides, rainfall must occur within 6 days after application for needed soil activation. Tordon herbicides are Restricted Use Pesticides.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Michael Weldon]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:04 -0500 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/138 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/138 Sacred bamboo or nandina (Nandina domestica) is an evergreen erect shrub to 8 feet in height, with multiple bushy stems resembling bamboo, glossy pinnately to bipinnately compound green or reddish leaves. Early summer terminal clusters of tiny white-to-pinkish flowers yield dangling clusters of red berries in fall and winter.

Ecology. Occurs under forest canopies and near forest edges. Shade tolerant. Seedlings frequent in vicinity of old plantings. Varying leaf colors in the various cultivars, some of which do not produce viable seeds. Colonizes by root sprouts and spreads by animal-dispersed seeds.

History and use. Introduced from eastern Asia and India in the early 1800s. Widely planted as an ornamental, now escaped and spreading from around old homes.

Stem. Large compound leaves resembling leafy branches, woody leafstalk bases persisting as stubby branches, and overlapping sheaths encasing the main stem. The overlapping sheaths on the main stem give the appearance of bamboo, thus, the common name. Stem fleshy and greenish gray near terminal, becoming woody barked and tan to brown with fissures towards the base. Wood bright yellow.

Leaves. Alternately whorled, bipinnately compound on 1.5 to 3 feet slender leafstalks, often reddish tinged with joints distinctly segmented. Leafstalk bases clasping stems with a V-notch on the opposite side of attachment. Nine to eighty-one nearly sessile leaflets, lanceolate to diamond-shaped, 0.5 to 4 inches long and 0.4 to 1.2 inches wide. Glossy light green to dark green sometimes red tinged or burgundy

Flowers. May to July. Terminal (or axillary) panicles of several hundred flowers, 4 to 10 inches long. Pink in bud, opening to three (two to four) lanceolate deciduous petals, white to cream, with yellow anthers 0.2 to 0.3 inch long. Fragrant.

Fruit and seeds. September to April. Dense terminal and axillary clusters of fleshy, spherical berries 0.2 to 0.3 inch. Light green ripening to bright red. Two hemispherical seeds.

Recommended control procedures:

• Thoroughly wet all leaves with glyphosate herbicide as a 1-percent solution in water (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant (August to October). Or, apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to young bark as a basal spray.
• For stems too tall for foliar sprays, cut large stems and immediately treat the stumps with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant: Arsenal AC* as a 10-percent solution (1 quart per 3-gallon mix) or a glyphosate herbicide as a 20-percent solution (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix).
• Collect and destroy fruit

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Michael Weldon]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:05 -0500 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/137 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/137 Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) and European privet (L. vulgare) are difficult to distinguish except at flowering, both are evergreen to semievergreen. Both are thicket-forming shrubs to 30 feet in height that are soft woody, multiple stemmed with long leafy branches and opposite leaves less than 2 inches long. Showy clusters of small white flowers in spring yield clusters of small ovoid, dark-purple berries during fall and winter.

Ecology Aggressive and troublesome invasives, often forming dense thickets, particularly in bottom-land forests and along fencerows, thus gaining access to forests, fields, and right-of-ways. Shade tolerant. Colonize by root sprouts and spread widely by abundant bird- and other animal-dispersed seeds.

History and use. Introduced from China and Europe in the early to mid-1800s. Traditional southern ornamentals. Deer browse Chinese privet sprouts.

Stem. Opposite or whorled, long slender branching that increases upward with twigs projecting outward at near right angles. Brownish gray turning gray green and short hairy (rusty or grayish) with light dots (lenticels). Leaf scars semicircular with one bundle scar. Bark brownish gray to gray and slightly rough (not fissured).

Leaves. Opposite in two rows at near right angle to stem, ovate to elliptic with rounded tip (often minutely indented), 0.8 to 1.6 inches long and 0.4 to 1.2 inches wide. Margins entire. Lustrous green above and pale green with hairy midvein beneath (European privet not hairy beneath). Petioles 0.04 to 0.2 inch long, rusty hairy. Leaves usually persistent during winter.

Flowers. April to June. Abundant, terminal and upper axillary clusters on short branches forming panicles of white flowers. Corolla four-lobed, tube 0.06 to 0.1 inch long and equal or shorter than the lobes, with stamens extending from the corolla on Chinese privet and within the corolla on European privet. Fragrant.

Fruit and seeds. July to March. Dense ovoid drupes hanging or projecting outward, 0.2 to 0.3 inch long and 0.16 inch wide, containing one to four seeds. Pale green in summer ripening to dark purple and appearing almost black in late fall to winter.

Resemble Japanese privet, L. japonicum Thunb., which has larger leaves and is further described in this book. Also resemble upland swampprivet, Forestiera ligustrina (Michx.) Poir., which occurs mainly on rocky sites and has short twigs and sparse flowers and fruit.

Recommended control procedures:

• Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (August to December): a glyphosate herbicide as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix).
• For stems too tall for foliar sprays, apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to young bark as a basal spray. Or, cut large stems and immediately treat the stumps with Arsenal AC* or Velpar L* as a 10-percent solution in water (1 quart per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant. When safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, immediately treat stumps and cut stems with Garlon 3A or a glyphosate herbicide as a 20-percent solution in water (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant.

*Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Michael Weldon]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:06 -0500 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/127 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/127 Plant. Evergreen woody vine climbing to 90 feet (28 m) by clinging aerial roots and trailing to form dense ground cover. Thick dark-green leaves with whitish veins and three to five pointed lobes when juvenile. Maturing at about 10 years into erect plants or branches with unlobed leaves and terminal flower clusters that yield purplish berries. Toxic to humans when eaten and triggering dermatitis in sensitive individuals.

Stem. Woody slender vines when a ground cover and growing to 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter when climbing infested trees and rocks by many fine to stout aerial rootlets. Vines pale green (sometimes reddish tinged), rooting at nodes, becoming covered with gray-brown shiny bark, segmented by encircling and raised leaf scars, and roughened by tiny ridges. Bark light gray to brown, bumpy and gnarly, with aerial rootlets developing along the side where clinging to vertical structures. Aerial rootlets exuding a gluelike substance. Older vines sometimes grown together where crossed.

Leaves. Alternate, with shapes varying according to age—typical juvenile plants having three to five pointed lobes and mature plants broadly lanceolate and unlobed, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long and 2.5 to 5 inches (6 to 12 cm) wide. Thick and waxy, smooth and hairless, dark green with whitish veins radiating from the petiole and pale green beneath. Petioles to 6 inches (15 cm) long, pale green and often reddish tinged.

Flowers. June to October. Terminal hairy-stemmed umbel clusters of small greenish-yellow flowers on mature plants. Five thick and pointed petals, 0.1 inch (3 mm) long. Each petal radiating from a five-sided domed green floral disk, 0.1 inch (3 mm) wide, tipped by a short pistil.

Fruit and seeds. October to May. Clusters of spherical drupes, 0.2 to 0.3 inch (7 to 8 mm). Pale green in late summer ripening to dark blue to purplish in late winter to spring.

Ecology. Thrives in moist open forests, but adaptable to a range of moisture and soil conditions, including rocky cliffs. Shade tolerance allowing early growth under dense stands, but becoming adapted to higher light levels with maturity. Avoids wet areas. Amasses on infested trees, decreasing vigor, and increasing chance of windthrow. Serves as a reservoir for bacterialleaf scorch that infects oaks (Quercus spp.), elms (Ulmus spp.), and maples (Acer spp.). Spreads by bird-dispersed seeds and colonizes by trailing and climbing vines that root at nodes. Drupes mildly toxic, discouraging over consumption by birds.

Resembles grape, Vitis spp., which has a leaf that is similarly shaped but not thick and often hairy.

History and use. Introduced from Europe in colonial times. Traditional ornamental and still widely planted as an ornamental. Source of varnish resin, dye, and tanning substances.

Recommended control procedures:

• Thoroughly wet all leaves (until runoff) with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (July to October for successive years): Garlon 3A or Garlon 4 as a 3- to 5-percent solution (12 to 20 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or a glyphosate herbicide as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix). Use a string trimmer to reduce growth layers and injure leaves for improved herbicide uptake. Cut large vines and apply these herbicides to cut surfaces.
• Or, apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to large vines being careful to avoid the bark of the host tree.

News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Michael Weldon]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:00:07 -0400 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/125 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/125 Plant. Also called empresstree. Deciduous tree to 60 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter with large heart-shaped leaves, fuzzy hairy on both sides, showy pale-violet flowers in early spring before leaves, and persistent pecan-shaped capsules in terminal clusters in summer to winter. Abundant flower buds present on erect stalks over winter.

Ecology. Common around old homes, on roadsides, riparian areas, and forest margins in infested areas. Infrequently planted in plantations. Spreads by wind- and water- dispersed seeds. Invades after fire, harvesting, and other disturbances. Forms colonies from root sprouts.

History and use. Introduced in the early 1800s from East Asia . Has been widely planted as an ornamental and grown in scattered plantations for speculative high-value wood exports to Japan .

****

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–62. Asheville , NC : U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.

Stem. Twigs and branches stout, glossy gray brown and speckled with numerous white dots (lenticels). No terminal bud. Lateral leaf scars raised, circular, and becoming larger, dark, and sunken. Bark light-to-dark gray, roughened, and becoming slightly fissured. Stem pith chambered or hollow and wood white.

Leaves. Opposite, heart-shaped and fuzzy hairy on both surfaces, 6 to 12 inches long and 5 to 9 inches wide. Leaves larger on resprouts, 16 to 20 inches across, with extra tips often extending at vein tips. Petioles rough hairy, 2 to 8 inches long.

Flowers. April to May. Covered with showy erect panicles of pale-violet flowers before leaves in early spring, tubular with five unequal lobes. Fragrant. Flower buds fuzzy, linear, and becoming ovoid in summer and persistent on erect stalks over winter.

Fruit and seeds. June to April. Terminal clusters of pecan-shaped capsules 1 to 2 inches long and 0.6 to 1 inch wide. Pale green in summer turning to tan in winter and eventually black and persistent into spring. Capsules splitting in half during late winter to release tiny winged seeds.

Resembles southern catalpa, Catalpa bignonioides Walt., and northern catalpa, C. speciosa (Warder) Warder ex Engelm., which have leaves with sparsely hairy upper surfaces and rough hairy lower surfaces and long slender, persistent beans.

Recommended control procedures:

Large trees. Make stem injections using Arsenal AC* or a glyphosate herbicide in dilutions and cut spacings specified on the herbicide label (anytime except March and April). For felled trees, apply these herbicides to stem and stump tops immediately after cutting.

Saplings. Apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to young bark as a basal spray.

Resprouts and seedlings. Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (July to October): Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-galllon mix); a glyphosate herbicide, Garlon 3A, or Garlon 4 as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix).

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Zoë Hoyle]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:08 -0400 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/126 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/126 Plant. Deciduous tree to 50 feet (15 m) in height and 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, much branched with multiple boles, lacy dark-green leaves having a musky odor, and clusters of lavender flowers in spring yielding persistent, poisonous yellow berries.

Stem. Twigs stout, glossy greenish-brown with light dots (lenticels). No terminal bud. Numerous broad, V-shaped, raised leaf scars with three bundle scars below a domed fuzzy bud. Bark dark chocolate brown and becoming increasingly fissured with age. Wood soft and white.

Leaves. Alternately whorled, bipinnately compound, 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) long and 9 to 16 inches (23 to 40 cm) wide. Leafstalk lime green with base slightly clasping stem. Each leaflet lanceolate with tapering tips, 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) long and 0.5 to 1.2 inches (1 to 3 cm) wide. Margins varying from entire to coarsely crenate to serrate and wavy. Glossy dark green with light-green midvein above and pale green with lighter-green midvein beneath, becoming golden yellow in fall.

Flowers. March to May. Showy panicles from lower axils of new stems. Five pinkish-lavender to whitish petals, stamens united in dark-purple tube. Five green sepals. Fragrant.

Fruit and seeds. July to January. Berrylike spherical drupe 0.5 to 0.7 inch (1.2 to 1.8 cm) wide persisting through winter and containing a stone with one to six seeds. Light green turning yellowish green then yellowish tan. Poisonous to humans and livestock.

Ecology. Common on roadsides, at forest margins, and around old homesites but rare at high elevations. Semishade tolerant. Forms colonies from root sprouts or sprouts from root collars, and spreads by bird-dispersed abundant seeds.

Resembles common elderberry, Sambucus canadensis L., a spreading crowned shrub with once pinnately compound leaves, margins finely serrate, and green to dark-purple berries in flat-topped clusters.

History and use. Introduced in the mid-1800s from Asia. Widely planted as a traditional ornamental around homesites. Extracts potentially useful for natural pesticides.

Recommended control procedures:

Trees. Make stem injections using Arsenal AC* , Pathway*, Pathfinder II, or Garlon 3A in dilutions and cut spacings specified on the herbicide label (anytime except March and April). For felled trees, apply these herbicides to stem and stump tops immediately after cutting.

Saplings. Apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to young bark as a basal spray.

Sprouts and seedlings. Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (July to October): Garlon 3A or Garlon 4 as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix); Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix).

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Zoë Hoyle]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:09 -0400 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/123 http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/123 Golden bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea Carr. ex A. & C. Riviere and other invasive bamboos, Phyllostachys spp. and Bambusa spp.

Golden bamboo and other nonnative bamboos are perennial infestation-forming grasslike plants that grow 16 to 40 feet tall. They have joined cane stems and bushy tops of lanceolate leaves in fan clusters on grasslike stems, often golden green. Plants arise from branched rhizomes.

Stem. Solid jointed canes 1 to 6 inches in diameter. Hollow between joints. Golden to green to black. Branches wiry and grasslike from joints. Lower shoots and branches with loose papery sheaths that cover the ground when shed.

Leaves. Alternate, grasslike, often in fan clusters. Blades long and lanceolate, 3 to 10 inches long and 0.5 to 1.5 inches wide. Veins parallel. Often golden, sometimes green or variegated. Hairless except for large hairs at base of petiole, which shed with age. Sheaths encasing stem.

Flowers. Flowers very rarely.

Seeds. Seeds very rarely.

Ecology. Common around old homesites and now escaped. Colonize by rhizomes with infestations rapidly expanding after disturbance. General dieback periodically after flowering and seeding (about every 7 to 12 years) resulting in standing dead canes and new shoots.

Resemble switchcane, Arundinaria gigantea (Walt). Muhl., the only native bamboo-like cane in the South, distinguished by its lower height--sually only 6 to 8 feet--and its persistent sheaths. Also resemble giant reed, Arundo donax L.

History and use. All native to Asia. Widely planted as ornamentals and for fishing poles.

Recommended control procedures:

• Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (September or October with multiple applications to regrowth): Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix), a glyphosate herbicide as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix), or combination of the two herbicides.

• Cut just above ground level and treat stems immediately with a double-strength batch of the same herbicides or herbicide mixture.

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.

From: Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.


News Release Science Contact: James H. Miller
News Release Science Contact:
News Release Science Contact: Zoë Hoyle]]> Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:10 -0400