PULLING TOGETHER

PULLING TOGETHER

TO CONTROL KUDZU

A LANDSCAPE APPROACH

IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI

Kudzu is listed as one of the top 10 invasive weeds in Mississippi.

Recently, the control of Kudzu in Northern Mississippi has been considered too complex to address

due to expansive coverage, rate of growth and mixed land ownership. A coalition, consisting of state, local, and federal agencies along with conservation groups and academia, has been formed to address these challenges. To provide a baseline, partners conducted a preliminary survey of the 82 counties in Mississippi during July-August 2004. Kudzu was found in 72 of the 82 counties. Seventeen counties have kudzu infestation of more than 10,000 acres. Approximately 546,000 acres of private-owned forest land are infested with kudzu with an associated cost of 1.6 billion dollars in loss of timber sales to private landowners during the past 30 years.

Kudzu is vigorously spreading across our landscape and will grow at a rate of 70 feet per year. Kudzu is not only a threat to the economy and diversity of our forested lands; it contributes to the intensity of woodland fires. Kudzu is a highly flammable and provides a fuel ladder from the forest floor to the forest canopy; it is also a vehicle for spawning numerous spot fires.

The coalition has successfully applied for several state and federal grants that will allow us to educate the public about kudzu and control methods to combat this invasive weed. As a result, private landowners, utility companies, conservation organizations, and federal, state, and local officials will collaborate with us to control kudzu across the landscape.

The Kudzu Coalition Partners have selected three demonstration sites that reflect a variety of situations and treatments The first demonstration area is in Lafayette County along Hwy. 7N adjacent to the new convention center and a residential area; 2) in Marshall county along Hwy. 7N in Holly Springs—land owners are Holly Springs North Mississippi Branch Experiment Station and the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center; and 3) alongside Hwy. 4 near the edge of Benton County and Marshall County where agricultural land borders forested land. All three areas include highway right-of-ways and utility lines belonging to the State of Mississippi.

Treatment is scheduled for September 2005 followed by a show-me field day and workshop scheduled in late April of 2006. The goal of the workshop is Kudzu education. The objectives are 1) Definition of the Kudzu target area (Is the site suitable for Kudzu control?); 2) Available treatments and associated impacts; 3) Restoration of sites; 4) Cooperative financial programs to assist land owners; and 5) Working together across landscapes.

A Watershed demonstration project is also funded. The demonstration project is located in the Upper and Lower Tippah Watershed, which is considered an economically deprived area. The funding will allow us to collect base line data and develop an action plan for eradicating Kudzu throughout the watershed. The final step will be to generate a statewide approach.

The Kudzu Coalition Partners continue to work closely with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement a federal cost-share program through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) for landowner assistance in eradicating kudzu on their properties. NRCS has recently approved the kudzu control practices in EQIP for 2005, making this cost-share practice available to landowners in Mississippi.

COALITION MEMBERS:

o Holly Springs National Forest

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/mississippi/hollysprings/

o Mississippi Department of Ag & Commerce - Bureau of Plant Industry

http://www.mdac.state.ms.us/

o USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

http://www.ms.nrcs.usda.gov

o Mississippi Forestry Commission

http://www.mfc.state.ms.us/

o Mississippi State University Extension Service

http://msucares.com

o Mississippi Department of Transportation