Forest Service will battle invasive plants in Pisgah, Nantahala national forests

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The Winston-Salem Journal has the story:

Asheville – The National Forest Service announced today that it will work each year to control up to 1,100 acres of non-native invasive plants in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.
The project will use a variety of means, including cutting or digging up plants, or using herbicides applied in spot treatments to the targeted plants.

Forest Service botanists estimate that more than 25,000 acres of the two forests are infested with non-native plants such as Oriental bittersweet, princess tree, privet and Japanese honeysuckle. These species have been imported from other countries either by people who wanted to use them as ornamental plants or accidentally through shipments of other cargo.

They thrive in Western North Carolina and can overtake native vegetation.
For more information, visit the Forest Service Web site at www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc.