Invasive Species Focus Area

The Asheville Weed Team

The Asheville Weed Team's primary goal is to take action to control invasive exotic plants in the Asheville area.  It is a diverse group of volunteers who conduct invasive plant control efforts at various locations on both public and private land.  This group is augmented by funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's "Pulling Together Initiative." The group has been coordinating field projects, providing training to volunteers, and providing materials for training, education, and field work.  Participants are from the nursery industry, volunteer organizations, universities, general citizenry, environmental organizations, and state and federal agencies.

Asheville Weed Team Update by Jack Ranney--April 6, 2004

Recent Actions

Actions focused on the Beaver Lake Audubon Sanctuary, where 81 volunteers contributed over 370 hours of labor. Invasive plants in heavy brush have been cleared by both volunteers and contracted labor. Species included Oriental bittersweet, porcelainberry, and burning bush. Especially important has been the follow-up planting of native plants to improve natural habitat and provide impedance to further invasions by exotic plants. Native plantings included pin oak, blackgum, tulip poplar, alder, beautyberry, spicebush, native spiraea, blueberry, and deciduous holly. The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation has provided more than $1,000 toward the purchase of plant materials. This whole effort has been a big credit to what volunteers can accomplish. More action is planned for this summer after the spring bird-breeding season.

Planned Actions

• Perhaps the largest planned action is a bittersweet sweep on the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in mid-to-late June. The Forest leader, David Loftis, has clearance to involve volunteers in the fight against the bittersweet on some sections of the forest just now being invaded. Most of the sprouts are 1-2 feet tall (at least they were over the winter) and can be pulled by hand. A tract of several acres that is part of a special long-term study on tree growth needs control. The Forest Service, the NC Exotic Pest Plant Council, and Asheville Weed Team will work together on training (mainly plant identification). David likes the idea of giving new volunteers experience on the Forest to help other efforts (e.g., Sandy Bottom). Volunteers from the staff of the Forest Service, the Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Western North Carolina Alliance have offered to help.
• Another important area of attention right next to the Bent Creek Experimental Forest is The Nature Conservancy's Sandy Bottom area. Jane Hargreaves has been talking with Beth Bockoven about arranging a volunteer effort to control Oriental bittersweet on the environmentally sensitive wetland habitat. Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium) is also a concern. An invasive plant control date has been set for May 8 (May 15 rain date). Herbicides will be used, so this effort will involve mainly herbicide-licensed volunteers. Beth and Jane plan a re-study to check on control effectiveness June 26. Jane has permission from adjacent property owners to expand control efforts just past Nature Conservancy land where needed.
• Donna Garrison and Keith Blazer of the NC DOT have indicated their interest in working with the Asheville Weed Team on some invasive plant control efforts on road ROWs. Their concern is safety and would prefer the first volunteer control efforts start along low-traffic roads. Specific actions have not yet been planned. All they need are some good suggestions and dates. They have provided an okay to expand Sandy Bottom control efforts onto parts of the route 191 ROW. By the way, NC DOT (Ed Ingle) has detected the potential presence of purple loosestrife somewhere in the Reed Creek area off of highway property on private land. We need to locate, verify, and work with the landowner to eradicate it this spring if at all possible.
• In the midst of the Bent Creek and Sandy Bottom area is the entrance to the NC Arboretum where stream restoration and invasive plant control is occurring. Jon Calabria (NC State U. Extension and leader for the project) along with Allison Arnold have expressed interest in involving volunteers in invasive plant control (mostly Oriental bittersweet) in this area. No specific dates have been set but we might anticipate action this spring and summer.
• Reed Creek near UNC-A and the Botanical Garden of Asheville has been another area that may become a focus for volunteer action. We're checking on pipe line construction before planning any events.
• We would also like to plan a volunteer effort along the Beaver Lake shoreline near the Audubon Sanctuary but nothing is specific yet. Some Chinese silvergrass (miscanthus) and Oriental bittersweet needs eradicating before the summer progresses too far.

Other News

• Jane Hargreaves found a website that lists all the licensed herbicide application people in North Carolina by county. Buncombe, Haywood, and Henderson County respectively, have 325, 249, and 384 people listed with phone numbers. The website address is: http://www.ncagr.com/aspzine/Fooddrug/PrivData/advsearch.asp
• An alert is out on sudden oak death. The Monrovia Nursery in California has been found to have the disease on some of its materials and has been partially quarantined. However, some plant materials were already shipped to the southeast. The last information, around April 4, 2004, was the disease has shown up in the Jacksonville, Florida area on very limited nursery materials (camellias) received from the Monrovia Nursery.
• During the last NC Exotic Pest Plant Council meeting, it was mentioned that Oriental bittersweet is a class C noxious weed in NC. This classification doesn't carry much in the way of legal teeth to stop the spread of the plant.
• A one-day workshop is in the making for this fall-winter in Asheville on finding native alternatives to invasive exotic plants. The US Fish & Wildlife Service is sponsoring the workshop. Some invasive plant posters are also in the making.

If you have any questions, news, or information on invasive plants, please contact Jack Ranney (jwranney@utk.edu or 865-974-3938).