There was a time in the South when
planting kudzu was not viewed as botanical vandalism, but as a
community-spirited gesture. The vine, imported from Asia, was
intended to control erosion and provide forage for livestock.
Some things just don't work out.
Today kudzu is an invasive pest throughout
the South, where it can grow up to a foot a day. It smothers
trees, houses and if you move too slowly it might even smother
you. Pretty much the only thing that will eat a mature kudzu
vine is goats. If you lack goats, eradicating it takes years of
herbicidal dousing.
Which leads us to a muddle-headed idea from
an S.C.-based company: to plant 330 acres of eucalyptus trees
genetically modified to withstand cold weather. The idea is that
the tree, native to Australia, could be used commercially to
make paper and as fuel for power plants. The Summerville,
S.C.-based ArborGen, says the hybrid it would use can't easily
reproduce.
People thought kudzu was a good idea, too.
The problem of invasive plants is growing as fast as, well, you
know. It's not just kudzu. Have you ever tried to get rid of
wisteria gone wild? Japanese honeysuckle, English ivy or privet?
The major harm from invasive plants isn't
that they're landscaping annoyances; it's that they crowd out
and smother native species. That means birds and other animals
that rely on those native plants die out, too. A whole ecosystem
fails.
Although one form of eucalyptus is
already on a U.S. Forest Service list of invasive plants,
ArborGen in May won federal permits for seven test sites,
including one 75 miles from Charlotte in Marlboro County, S.C. A
U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis concluded the test
hybrids aren't likely to create a pest plant.
We say, remember kudzu. For decades the
federal Soil Conservation Service promoted it. And then it was
too late.
And one reason kudzu hasn't devoured the
whole continent - yet - is that it prefers mild winters. Can you
imagine the horror if it had been genetically modified to
withstand cold weather?.
Original post: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/25/1641336/could-eucalyptus-trees-be-the.html