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Hunters' help sought to stop Cogongrass
Baldwin County Extension Agent Sonya Wood Mahler refers to it as "the grass from hell," and it is listed as one of Alabama's 10 most invasive weeds. The invasive, non-native plant from Japan was used as packing material in the early 1900s. When boats came into port and the crates from the boats were unpacked, the grass was thrown to the ground. Although the blades appeared dead, apparently the roots, or rhyzomes, were still active.
Quickly takes over The grass establishes itself and takes over, literally choking out other vegetation in its path, including small trees. Other plants are robbed of nutrients, sunlight and room to grow. The grass produces a toxin and left untreated, will prevent any other plant from establishing in the area.
Soldiers who were in the Pacific Islands during World War II called it Japgrass because the grass grew so thick and they were badly cut by the serrated blades as they crawled through it. Farmers tried to use the grass as forage for cattle and horses, but most animals won't eat it because of the tough blades.
Spreads in different ways The grass spreads in several ways. The seeds scatter when blown by the wind, dispersing them over a wide area. The seeds also attach to vehicles and machinery that can transport them to other areas. The rhyzomes grow quickly once the plant is established and the grass usually grows in a circular pattern. The grass can be controlled by regular plowing, or working of the dirt, and grazing. Otherwise it must be treated with chemicals. It burns at a very high heat, especially in winter and is a fire hazard to nearby timber.
Hunters are cautioned A specific concern to landowners during this time of year are hunters from Mobile and Baldwin counties bringing equipment to Clarke and other area counties to work on feed patches. Scotch Lumber Company leases a good bit of land to out-of-town hunters and Scotch's Chief Forester George Robertson said they are requiring hunters to clean any equipment they plan to bring in before transporting it to Scotch's land. "The seeds and the rhyzomes can be transplanted here by the dirt that gets on the equipment. Bush hogs, plows, disks, box blades, four wheelers with attachments, any piece of equipment that moves dirt has the potential for bringing more cogongrass in. "We insist the equipment be cleaned before it's brought on Scotch land. Another policy we have for hunting clubs on Scotch land is that none of the roads are to be bush hogged because we don't want to spread the cogongrass any more," Robertson said. Foresters at Scotch have gone out and checked each feed patch they knew of for the invasive grass. If the grass was found, then it was treated and flagged so hunters would know not to disk or bush hog that patch this year. The patch will be treated again and if it appears the cogongrass is dead, then the hunters can work the patch next year.
Scotch fighting invasion Robertson said cogongrass was found on 30 percent of the hunting clubs. Scotch called a special meeting in July for those leasing hunting land from the company to instruct them on the policies for preventing the spread of cogongrass and make hunters more aware of the damage the grass causes. Robetson said, "We have asked the hunters that if they find anything they suspect is cogongrass to call Scotch and we'll go out and treat it. "Before we realized what cogongrass was, we were pulling ditches, grading roads, plowing fire lines, and shooting ourselves in the foot. Now we try not to move any dirt unless we know its seed and rhyzome free." Scotch has one employee whose job is strictly to supervise and administrate contractors, who are actively spraying and looking for the grass. Scotch presently has six crews spraying the cogongrass patches. The spray they use is a combination of glyphosate and imazapyr (Round-Up and Arsenal) and water. "We are using higher than normal rates, but we are having good results. You need both ingredients and retreatment is often necessary. We also spray a five to eight feet buffer zone around the grass" Robertson explained. John Richburg, Assistant State Conservationist for USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Services said, "Scotch Lumber Company is probably the number one timber related company in Alabama in treating this problem. They are way ahead of the game and they're setting an example," "In the 1960s professors at Auburn University realized this was a serious problem and they tried to make the public more aware, but it never really got started good. About six or seven years ago I started trying too because I saw how bad it was," Richburg explained. As other groups joined in with the efforts to combat the problem, NRCS became interested and in the 2002 Farm Bill money was appropriated and set aside for controlling the grass through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. As part of Alabama's program, over $1 million was set aside for eradicating invasive species and half of that has gone to help private landowners with their cogongrass problems. The Alabama Department of Transportation is trying to do its part to prevent the spread of the grass, which has spread up the highways, via mowers and other equipment used to clear the right-of-ways, with regular treatments. Richburg said a weak link in Clarke County is the county's road and bridge department. "They just don't have the funding to treat the grass and keep the roads up. You have to take care of the bigger priorities and keeping the roads and right-of-ways in shape takes what money they've got." Private landowners are encouraged to keep an eye out for the intrusive plant. It is suggested that if cogongrass is found, then the area should be treated and flagged off so that no one can go through the grass and cause it to spread. Experts say the best time of the year to treat the grass is in the fall, just before dormancy. Treatments will likely be needed for several years.
Spray for 3 years suggested Richburg said NRCS recommends spraying three years. They offer funding of $75 per acre over the three year period for private landowners. Those fighting the spread of cogongrass say education and awareness are the first critical steps to battling the invasive plant. Learning to identify the grass and learning how to treat the grass will help stop it from spreading. The USDA-NRCS is in the process of taking applications for 2007 funds for treating cogongrass and other invasive species. Private landowners who wish to address the problem on their property are urged to visit the NRCS office in Grove Hill to sign up for funding. For more information, landowners may contact the USDA-NRCS, the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service or the Alabama State Forestry Commission.
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