Invasive cogongrass causes fire concerns

State seeks help to track spread of Asian weed
[South Carolina] Officials want to enlist anyone who spends time outdoors to keep cogongrass from spreading across the state, said George Kessler, a retired Clemson University professor. The aggressive Asian grass, which was first introduced around 1911 in Mobile Bay , Ala. , grows so densely that officials say it’s highly flammable and provides fuel for forest fires. “The grass is very flammable and it burns much hotter than what you’d think of as a grass fire,” Kessler said. “It outcompetes native vegetation, and when it grows, it eliminates other vegetation to be able to grow on that site. This is probably one of the 10 worst invasive plants in the world.” “It may resemble other grasses, but in a forestry situation, if you were to cut out the trees, they could not naturally reseed because of it.”
www.invasive.org

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org