Read it at: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804130348

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson University is conducting a cogongrass survey on May 15-18, 2008. Hundreds of volunteers are needed. For more information please visit http://www.clemson.edu/for/cogon_survey.htm .

Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tommy Irvin, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

PRESS RELEASE                                 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information contact: Arty Schronce, Tyler Adams, Jackie Sosby or Yao Seidu (404) 656-3689

Ga. Dept. of Agriculture

Bans sale of Cogongrass

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has issued a statewide ban on the sale of Cogongrass, a non-native and aggressively invasive species of grass.

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is already listed as a noxious weed by the United States Department of Agriculture and is therefore illegal to transport across state lines.

The new action makes the growing, cultivation or sale of the plant a violation within the state of Georgia.

The grass is sold under the names Japanese blood grass and Red Baron grass.  There is a reddish tint to the leaves which accounts for its name and sole ornamental quality. Cultivars such as ‘Red Baron’ are thought to be sterile (producing no viable seed), but long-term behavior of the plant is unknown. Cultivars of the grass have demonstrated aggressive spreading by their roots.  They will also sometimes revert to green.   

State and federal agencies have been working together for four years to detect all known Cogongrass infestations and to eradicate them. 

Cogongrass can form a dense mat that makes it nearly impossible for other plants to coexist.  It disrupts ecosystems, reduces wildlife habitat and decreases tree seedling growth.  “Think of kudzu as a grass,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin.

This ban is part of an ongoing effort among the nursery industry, USDA Forest Service, University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Forestry Commission to prevent further introductions of cogongrass into the environment.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has 24 inspectors that will enforce the ban and help educate nurseries and garden centers about this new regulation.

“Georgia garden centers and nurseries are stocked with plenty of other ornamental grasses or other plants that will substitute for these grasses,” said Commissioner Irvin.   “Everyone agrees this is a wise precautionary measure.”

Workshop for forest owners and people interested in the forests of Alabama. Information can be found at: http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/2008/03/21/news/news05.txt . Article also gives some good information on cogongrass.

New regulations from the Georgia Department of Agriculture now prohibit the sale or distribution of any plant listed on the Federal Noxious Weed list or determined by the commissioner to be a public nuisance. The federal noxious weed regulations have been in place since 1995; However the new regulations include all varieties and cultivars of these species. Most noteworthy of these species is red baron, a cultivar of Imperata cylindrica (cogongrass). This plant is a major problem in the southern United States and there is an effort in Georgia to try and stifle an invasion before it reaches levels similar to that seen in Florida and Alabama. The efforts of the Georgia Department of Agriculture are a step in the right direction. Work to spread the word about these new regulations is needed. A consulting forester last week intercepted his neighbor who was going to plant Red Baron that she had ordered and received from Burgess Seed & Plant Co. in Bloomington, IL. Help spread the word!

You can view the federal noxious weed list at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/weeds/downloads/weedlist2006.pdf

The purpose of this conference is to convey the latest understanding in restoring lands, managing, controlling and eradicating cogongrass, and to explore existing and needed networks for coordinating strategies for successful cogongrass management.

http://www.cogongrass.org/conference.cfm

The new bugwood publication "Invasive Plant Responses to Silvicultural Practices in the South" is now available online at: http://www.invasive.org/silvicsforinvasives.pdf