Author Archives: Sylvan Kaufman

New app for tracking wavyleaf basketgrass

Towson University researchers in Maryland want your help tracking the spread of wavyleaf basketgrass.  Get more information and download their app at http://heron.towson.edu/wavyleaf/home/

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Goats at work in Michigan

Ottawa County parks in Michigan got their first goat herd to do some invasive plant clearing, http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/05/goats_already_hard_at_work_in.html. Use of goats (or other livestock) for controlling invasive plants isn’t a new technique, but it has been regaining popularity. My dad and co-author used … Continue reading

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Glyphosate in soils and water

In a massive study of soil and water samples from across the US, researchers frequently found low levels of glyphosate and its byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). The concentrations are below levels considered harmful to humans and wildlife, but little information is available … Continue reading

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Seed germination following herbicide treatment

Don’t rush to plant following herbicide application according to a new article published in Restoration Ecology.  In pots in a greenhouse experiment sprayed with aminopyralid or picloram at the recommended rate, native forb and grass seeds from a dry NW grassland … Continue reading

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Bushkiller Vine found in Maryland

Bushkiller vine, Cayratia japonica, has been found at 2 sites in Maryland, one in Anne Arundel Co. and the other in Baltimore (K. Kyde, MD DNR, 11/21/13).  These are the northernmost known occurrences of this plant. This vine looks a … Continue reading

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Is the cost of Phragmites control worth it?

In a survey of 285 land managers in the U.S., researchers found that they spent nearly $4 million dollars per year on control of non-native Phragmites australis on 89,000 ha but few were happy with the results of their control … Continue reading

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Invasives in British forests

The magazine “Wood Wise” from Great Britain has an issue on managing invasive species (mostly plants) in woodlands.  They cover several species also considered invasive in North America, giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, and several species native to North America … Continue reading

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Definitions

The Smithsonian Ecological Research Center’s Marine Invasions Research Lab tackles the interesting question of what the definition of an invasive species is, http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/feature_story/April_2013.aspx. Does it depend on how it was introduced, how long it has been here, or what effects it … Continue reading

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