{"id":1843,"date":"2025-07-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/?p=1843"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:42:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:42:44","slug":"help-our-parks-through-environmental-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/help-our-parks-through-environmental-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Help our parks through Environmental Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A
Since it was detected in Tennessee in 1919, Japanese stiltgrass has spread across several states to reach Texas, Vermont, and Florida. Image from EDDMapS.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this time last year, I wrote about a couple of very visible invasive plants. One was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum<\/em>), a sun- and shade-tolerant grass that has spread so far it is known by several names, including Nepalese browntop, Asian stilt grass, and Chinese packing grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese stiltgrass is native to Asia and is believed to have come to North America in the early 1900s in a shipment of porcelain from China. The grass was used as packing material. Using natural, biodegradable packing material seems like a great idea. Unfortunately, the grass contained viable seeds that began growing in Tennessee in 1919.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Japanese stiltgrass blankets forest floors, smothering out other plants and changing the soil so that native plants can\u2019t grow. Photo by Bonnie Isaac.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since then, invasive Japanese stiltgrass has spread to 29 additional states, reaching as far west as Texas, north to Ontario, Canada, south to Florida, up the east coast to Vermont and New Hampshire. It\u2019s expected to continue spreading northward to Maine and to gain a foothold in west coast states, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-native invasive species harm local ecosystems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In natural ecosystems, a variety of plants, insects, and wildlife exist in a harmonious balance that developed over thousands of years. When non-native species enter that ecosystem, the natural competitors that keep them in check in their own environment usually aren\u2019t present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many non-native plants, like wheat and apples, are useful and don\u2019t cause environmental problems. Some non-native species, however, spread aggressively and successfully and can cause significant damage to the native ecological balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dry
When Japanese stiltgrass dies in the winter, it leaves dense thatch that is a wildfire hazard. Image from Bugwood.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kudzu is an example of a very successful non-native, invasive plant. We see it when we\u2019re driving down almost any road outside of city limits. We\u2019ve probably all seen, but perhaps didn\u2019t recognize, Japanese stiltgrass growing in our parks, along roadsides, and even in our yards. It is an increasing problem, and the Georgia Forestry Commission has ranked it as the 2nd<\/sup> worst non-native invasive plant in Georgia forest lands. It covers forest floors, smothering native plants and changing the soil so that native plants can\u2019t grow. It reduces nesting and foraging habitats for wildlife. When it dies in the winter, Japanese stiltgrass leaves dense thatch that presents a wildfire hazard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take action for our parks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a non-native species is introduced, there is a small window of time in which early detection and action can eradicate the species and prevent it from becoming invasive. We\u2019ve missed that window with Japanese stiltgrass, but that doesn\u2019t mean we should give up and allow it to swallow our parks and yards. We can take action to control it, reduce its spread, and even clear it out of localized areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forsyth County Extension and Parks and Recreation are partnering on a community-based Environmental Action initiative to reduce Japanese stiltgrass in our local parks. Through this family-friendly, non-chemical approach, we\u2019re training county residents and park visitors to recognize, report, and help remove non-native, invasive Japanese stiltgrass from specific areas of Chattahoochee Pointe Park and Sawnee Mountain Preserve. Our goal is to clear Japanese stiltgrass from a total of five acres in these parks through community action during the next two years, and then continue the community initiative in other county parks and with other invasive plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Heavy
A silvery, off center midvein in mature leaves is an identifying characteristic of Japanese stiltgrass. Photo by Heather Kolich, UGA Extension<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why are we focusing on this particular plant? Because we have a high likelihood of success with Japanese stiltgrass removal. Unlike many other non-native invasive plants, Microstegium<\/em> is an annual plant that reproduces only by seed. It spreads quickly because it can grow roots where nodes touch the ground. But the roots are shallow, so it\u2019s easy to pull out by hand \u2013 no tools or herbicides needed. If we pull out the grasses before they flower in September, we can prevent thousands of new seeds from being deposited in the soil. Fewer seeds in the soil mean fewer Japanese stiltgrass plants next year, and that gives native plants a better chance to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to be an Environmental Action Hero<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re offering four Environmental Action Workshops in July where you\u2019ll learn about several invasive plants of North Georgia, how they disrupt local ecosystems, and how to use apps to report invasive species. Then we\u2019ll take hands-on action to identify and clear Japanese stiltgrass from specific areas of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are family-friendly workshops, and we welcome groups as well. We can\u2019t have too many Environmental Action Heroes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workshop details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chattahoochee Pointe Park, July 18 & 19, 9-11 a.m. Meet at the outdoor classroom in the Sustainable Community Orchard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor Center, July 25 & 26, 9-11 a.m. Meet outside the front entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About this time last year, I wrote about a couple of very visible invasive plants. One was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), a sun- and shade-tolerant grass that has spread so far it is known by several names, including Nepalese browntop, Asian stilt grass, and Chinese packing grass.<\/p>\n

Japanese stiltgrass is native to Asia and is believed to have come to North America in the early 1900s in a shipment of porcelain from China. The grass was used as packing material. Using natural, biodegradable packing material seems like a great idea. Unfortunately, the grass contained viable seeds that began growing in Tennessee in 1919.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":1849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,390],"class_list":["post-1843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anr","tag-invasive-species","tag-japanese-stiltgrass"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1843"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2249,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843\/revisions\/2249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}