STILTGRASS - Coming Or Going?

(06/24/2011)
Would you like to learn more about invasive plants, and Japanese stiltgrass in particular?

Attend a free workshop at Crummies Creek Demonstration Forest near Arnoldsburg, WV and become familiar with one of the most widespread invasive plants in West Virginia.

This exotic grass is a growing concern for those who care about West Virginia's forests.

Japanese stiltgrass is a destructive invasive plant that has been in the US since 1919, when it became established in Tennessee.

Stiltgrass has no food value and is not eaten by deer, goats, sheep, cattle or horses. When it dies, it produces an extremely flammable thatch that is very slow to rot, crowds out important forest plants like American ginseng, and prevents natural forest regeneration.

In the summer of 2009, a fungal disease that infects and weakens stiltgrass was found at Crummies Creek Demonstration Forest.

Before this, no disease of any kind had been encountered in stiltgrass. We will view stiltgrass that is infected with the Bipolaris fungus. We'll discuss what has been learned about the fungal disease up to this point, as well as its potential as a bio-control for Japanese stiltgrass.

The program will take place in an area where the Bipolaris fungus is rampant, and we will see how the fungus is helping to control stiltgrass.

We will look at a woodland where carefully planned mechanical treatment of stiltgrass (using a brush hog or weed whacker) has been employed for nearly ten years.

Russ Richardson, a consulting forester, will discuss a "stiltgrass attack plan" for woodland owners to apply on their own properties.

At the end of the day there will be a discussion of wildlife pollinators and inexpensive methods of habitat improvement. We'll visit a five-acre meadow that is being maintained for pollinators.

For over ten years efforts to contain and control the spread of Japanese stiltgrass has been an ongoing forest management emphasis at Crummies Creek.

The tour will take place on Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. A light lunch will be provided. To register for the tour or for more information, contact Ellen Voss at 304-293-5741 or email her at evoss@mix.wvu.edu

The Forest Stewardship Program offers private woodland owners technical and financial assistance to maintain and enhance the value of their forested land.

The WV Division of Forestry manages the program, with assistance from WVU Extension Service and WVU Division of Forestry & Natural Resources.