LINKS
Kern River Valley Invasive Species Information
Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria - Kern River
Valley Invasive Species Information
Perennial Pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium - Kern River
Valley Invasive Species Information
Salt Cedar, Tamarix ramossisima - Kern River Valley
Invasive Species Information
Kern County Fire Department Helps Audubon and
Fish & Game with Invasive Weeds
LINKS
CNPS Policy on Invasive
Exotic Plants
Bureau of Land Management's Weeds Website
CalFlora -- expanded weed photos and
mapping
California's Noxious Weeds -- a California Department of Food and
Agriculture page
CalWeeds Database - weed
control projects inventory
Cornell Report on the costs of exotics
InvasiveSpecies.Gov - The Nation's
Invasive Species Information System
National Agricultural Pest
Information System (NAPIS)
Weeds Gone Wild
Weed Research and Information Center --
UC Davis
FACT SHEETS FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Plants
Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus
altissima)
Silk tree (Albizia
julibrissin)
Giant reed (Arundo
donax)
Yellow starthistle
(Centaurea solstitialis)
Canada thistle (Cirsium
arvense)
English ivy (Hedera
helix)
Perennial pepperweed
(Lepidium latifolium)
Purple loosestrife
(Lythrum salicaria)
Eurasian watermilfoil
(Myriophyllum spicatum)
Fountain grass (Pennisetum
setaceum)
Black locust (Robinia
pseudoacacia)
Salt cedar (Tamarix
species)
Siberian elm (Ulmus
pumila)
Common mullein (Verbascum
thapsus)
General Educational
What the heck is an
Invasive Plant? - Printable brochure - PDF (810 KB)
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INVASIVE SPECIES ERADICATION
Staff and volunteers of the
Kern River Preserve have spent over a decade
fighting invasive species. These efforts have
paid off with one of the most native forests in
western North America.
Each year staff of the Kern
River Preserve and partners spend many hours
eradicating invasive weeds from South Fork Valley lands.
Each of us can help prevent
the spread of invasive plants and animals. You
can help by learning which species can become
invasive and eradicate these from your own
yards. Help to educate your local nurseries
about the problem with invasives and get them to
stop selling problem plants. Contact your
legislator and local agriculture commissioner to
make sure no invasives are sold or promoted in
your county or town.
The article that follows is a
tutorial on giant cane: one of a
series of articles staff of the Kern River
Preserve are preparing to educate about local
invasives and some steps each of us can take to
help eradicate them.
 GIANT
CANE (Arundo donax)
Arundo donax was
introduced from the
Mediterranean region of
Europe to California in the 1820's
for roofing material and erosion
control. Additional plantings
as an ornamental throughout
the country have caused it to
become naturalized along North
America's fresh waterways.
Giant cane is in the
grass family and can
grow to 20 feet tall.
While it superficially
resembles bamboo, its stalks
rarely exceed 1 inch in diameter.
The pale green leaves are 1-2 inches
wide.
This plant is very
invasive. It displaces native vegetation and
wildlife and is highly flammable so
should be removed as soon
as it is found. When fires happen, giant
cane acts as a "ladder"
with tall flames that spread to
vegetation and buildings.
Spreading by its
rhizomatous roots rather than from seed,
giant reed is not easy to remove or
control once established.
One method of control is to smother it
with a tarp. Cut and
remove all stems, then cover
the entire area with a heavy, light
excluding tarp throughout the entire
year. This works by not
allowing the plant to photosynthesize.
Another method done by
licensed pesticide applicators is to
cut down tall mature plants and remove stalks.
When emerging giant
reed shoots reach 2-4 feet in height
and then spray with the appropriate chemical.
Ecologists have
determined that the cut, regrow and
spray technique is a cost-effective
method to control and
eventually eradicate giant reed. § |
