Fort Stewart Georgia has 278,000 acres of manageable timber lands which consists of most the major species found in the southeast. Everything from Longleaf, Slash, Loblolly, and Pond pine to hardwood species such as Sweetgum, Blackgum, and multiple species of Oaks. But what most people don’t know is that some of these species were not native to this particular area. At Ft. Stewart Forestry we have two main goals. Support the military and provide the best habitat possible for wildlife. In performing these tasks we have realized that for us to be most effective we must return Ft. Stewart to its natural state. Longleaf pine and wiregrass. Unfortunately that is easier said than done. Over the years due to ecological changes and logging we have introduced several species of invasive plants. Plants that choke out the native species that we are trying to bring back. Invasive species such as Cogongrass.
“Cogongrass suppresses and eliminates natural vegetation thereby significantly reducing tree & plant regeneration, wildlife habitat, forage, and ecological diversity.” Gary W. Black Georgia Dept. of Agriculture. Cogongrass makes returning an ecosystem to its natural habitat even more difficult. “This plant was introduced into the county from South East Asia and India and is now distributed on all continents except Antarctica. In 1912 it was first spotted in South Alabama and rapidly made its way across the entire South East by the 1940’s.” Forest Plants of the South East and Their Uses by James and Carl Miller (1999) At one time in the past Ft. Stewart Georgia was nothing but forests of Longleaf pine and wiregrass for as far as the eye could see. It provided prime habitat for countless species of wildlife and an ecosystem unmatched by any other. Fort Stewart is trying to restore that natural habitat. One of our enemies in completing this goal is Cogongrass. Cogongrass chokes out most other species of grass and shrubs when it takes over a site making rehab almost impossible. The amount of work and money needed to eradicate the species depends on the time of the year. At all times when transporting this invasive the plant must be double bagged and tape shut with no protruding stems. When technicians are on a site during seeding of the plant, they must wear clothing that is disposed of at the worksite in the same manner that the plants are. In some cases eradication involves burning the seed pods with butane torches before pulling and removing the plant. Thousands of dollars are spent on the herbicide in an attempt to eradicate …show more content…
I understand the impacts that a piece of equipment can have on the ground. One example of how we can prevent the further spread of cogongrass in the south is to require that any equipment being brought onto base must be fully washed and inspected before entering or leaving a work site. Loggers don’t typically enjoy these types of delays but that’s when you just remind them of why it is that we require it. “To date, most infestations in Georgia and South Carolina have been introduced by contaminated equipment used for site preparation, tree planting, wildlife food plot preparation, power line installation, movement of contaminated fill dirt and other direct movement by man.” Why should I care about cogongrass?” Carey Minteer
“Cogongrass suppresses and eliminates natural vegetation thereby significantly reducing tree & plant regeneration, wildlife habitat, forage, and ecological diversity.” Gary W. Black Georgia Dept. of Agriculture. Cogongrass makes returning an ecosystem to its natural habitat even more difficult. “This plant was introduced into the county from South East Asia and India and is now distributed on all continents except Antarctica. In 1912 it was first spotted in South Alabama and rapidly made its way across the entire South East by the 1940’s.” Forest Plants of the South East and Their Uses by James and Carl Miller (1999) At one time in the past Ft. Stewart Georgia was nothing but forests of Longleaf pine and wiregrass for as far as the eye could see. It provided prime habitat for countless species of wildlife and an ecosystem unmatched by any other. Fort Stewart is trying to restore that natural habitat. One of our enemies in completing this goal is Cogongrass. Cogongrass chokes out most other species of grass and shrubs when it takes over a site making rehab almost impossible. The amount of work and money needed to eradicate the species depends on the time of the year. At all times when transporting this invasive the plant must be double bagged and tape shut with no protruding stems. When technicians are on a site during seeding of the plant, they must wear clothing that is disposed of at the worksite in the same manner that the plants are. In some cases eradication involves burning the seed pods with butane torches before pulling and removing the plant. Thousands of dollars are spent on the herbicide in an attempt to eradicate …show more content…
I understand the impacts that a piece of equipment can have on the ground. One example of how we can prevent the further spread of cogongrass in the south is to require that any equipment being brought onto base must be fully washed and inspected before entering or leaving a work site. Loggers don’t typically enjoy these types of delays but that’s when you just remind them of why it is that we require it. “To date, most infestations in Georgia and South Carolina have been introduced by contaminated equipment used for site preparation, tree planting, wildlife food plot preparation, power line installation, movement of contaminated fill dirt and other direct movement by man.” Why should I care about cogongrass?” Carey Minteer