Fighting Japanese Knotweed

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Fighting Japanese Knotweed
Montpeliers 7th and 8th graders take on a very
nasty invasive species

• Eli Rosenberg
• Main Street Middle School
• Montpelier, VT
• [phone]
• Eli_at_mpsvt.org

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Project Focus Land Use

• A Planet of Weeds
• What makes our home valuable?

• Know how Japanese Knotweed impacts our local
  ecosystem
• Understand how we manage natural resources
• Describe the impact of human activities on the
  earths environment

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Invasive species? Near me?

• Invasive species are most problematic in areas
  that have been disturbed by human activities
• Road building
• Residential development
• Forest clearing
• Logging operations
• Grazing
• Mining
• Ditching of marshes
• Mowing
• Erosion control
• Fire prevention and control

• Natural disturbances, such as fires, floods,
  tornadoes, landslides, tree falls, and ice floes
  also provide avenues for invasive species to get
  started.

Young JK asparagus
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Japanese knotweed(Polygonum cuspidatum)

• Native to Eastern Asia
• Introduced to US in mid-late 1800s
• Grows 10-14
• Early spring leaf out
• Shoots survive 1 season, roots survive decades
• Rhizomes can travel 80 underground
• Reproduces via rhizome, shoot fragments, seed
  germination rate 61-95 in light and room
  temperature
• Grows in variety of pH levels and soil types
• Preference for wet habitats, such as along
  streams and rivers, in low-lying areas, waste
  places.

Flowers and seeds
Japanese knotweed inhabits 36 states in the lower
48. Red indicates states with more dense
populations (nps.gov)
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How does Japanese Knotweed affect our ecosystem?

• Increase the incidence of plant disease and
  stress in forested areas and along the river
  corridor.
• Prevent seedling establishment of native trees
  and shrubs.
• Reduce vigor of mature trees through shading, and
  stealing water and nutrients.
• Choke out planted saplings if not well
• maintained.
• Hybridize with native plant species,
• altering their genetic makeup.
• Increase erosion along stream banks,
• shorelines and roadsides.
• Change characteristics of the soil
• structure and chemistry
• No food value for native wildlife

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How do we manage our natural resources?

• Influence policymakers
• Educate the public
• Direct action

Problem Statement Knotweed resists eradication
and spreads very quickly, ruining human buildings
and ground that could be inhabited by native
species.
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Student resource management ideas

• Discover and test ways to kill it (Dig it up,
  Blow it up, Pesticide it, Try acid, Bulldoze it,
  Use fire, Stomp it and plant taller trees over
  it, Cut it down, Herbicide, Sling shot power, Dig
  up the roots)
• Map it to see how and where it goes, and give the
  maps to the City
• Find medical and material uses for knotweed
• Get the state government to pass a law or
  resolution
• Work with a mad scientist to build a giant
  knotweed stomping robot
• Make knotweed music and sing to people
• Make a kids booklike the loraxTell IPANE where
  it is
• Get ben and Jerry to make a new flavor
• Have a block party and serve knotweed food and
  have knotweed games

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Partners in resource management

• Montpelier Planning Department
• Montpelier Parks Department
• Montpelier Conservation Commission
• Montpelier Public Schools
• Internet Plant Atlas of New England
• Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences Community
  Mapping Program

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Direct Action Kids stomping Knotweed
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Educating the Public

• Recipe books
• Podcast interviews

• Knotweed rap
• Kids books

• Posters
• Pamphlets

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Influencing Policymakers
GPS 72 ArcGIS
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Data Collection
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(No Transcript)
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Knotweed in Montpelier
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How was this data used?

• Montpelier Parks Department
• Plantings
• Volunteer task forces
• Montpelier Conservation Commission
• City Master Plan
• IPANE
• EPA, State, Local government database