DATE: April 17, 2008

CONTACT: George Kessler, (864) 656-4836
gksslr@clemson.edu

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241
tlollis@clemson.edu


Clemson recruiting volunteer army to fight cogongrass spread

CLEMSON – The Cogongrass Task Force is seeking volunteers to hunt down cogongrass, one of the worst invasive species in the world, before it expands its foothold in the Palmetto State.

Cogongrass “We need at least 500 people to help with a survey of the 26 counties closest to Georgia May 15-18,” said George Kessler, cogongrass coordinator at Clemson University.

“Cogongrass has been found in seven South Carolina counties – Allendale, Anderson, Aiken, Beaufort, Charleston, Hampton and Pickens – and we don’t want it in 10,” he said. “We have a chance to control this plant if we find it while the spots are small.”

A native of Asia, cogongrass spreads through wind-blown seed and rhizomes, and once established it can choke out native plants, destroy sources of food for wildlife and raise the potential for forest fires, according to Kessler.

The survey will be conducted by region over the four-day period.

  • Region 1 includes the counties of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Jasper.
  • Region 2 counties are Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Orangeburg and Richland.
  • Region 3 counties include Aiken, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda.
  • Region 4 counties are Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, Pickens and Oconee.

To become a volunteer go to http://www.clemson.edu/for/cogon_surveyform.htm and register. You also may call Jeanne Campbell in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at (864) 656-2479.

Volunteers will look for cogongrass at places where landscape plants are sold; along power line and utility rights of way; along highways and railroads coming out of Georgia; parks, boat landings and campgrounds; hunt clubs; cattle and horse farms; even deer-processing facilities.

“As people locate cogongrass, they will report it to a site coordinator, who will send an identifier to confirm plant identity. The identifier will report the confirmation and it will be entered into a database for future treatment,” said Kessler. “The more people who volunteer the more area we can cover, and this will really help to eradicate cogongrass.”

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