Fri Jan 07 2005 - 16:39:39

Contents
1. Registration for Meeting #5; 15 February deadline
2. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) Alert!
3. Oriental bittersweet in NC
4. Invasive Plant Position passed by the NC Association of Nurserymen Board
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1. Registration for Meeting #5; 15 February deadline
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

Beth Bockoven has provided me with the registration materials for the 5th
meeting of the Eastern Invasives Meeting, to be held 19-21 April in
Hendersonville, western North Carolina. I have posted this information at:
http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/listarch02/workshop5-reg.doc
You can also expect to get a copy mailed directly to you. Fill this out
promptly and return it to Beth by February 15!

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2. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) Alert!
From: Beth Bockoven

This deciduous woody vine from the Pacific Rim was introduced to the
southeastern US in the mid-1980s for use as an ornamental and for beach
stabilization. By the mid-1990s, plant specialists began to notice beach
vitex spreading from the original plantings on the South Carolina Beach. It
is a problem because it crowds out the native sea oats and other native
vegetation, and forms inpenetrable masses on the beaches in which sea
turtles can get tangled. In the fall of 2003, a task force, comprising
local, state and federal agencies was formed to address this issue on the
Carolina Coast and beyond. The Beach Vitex Task Force Website is
http://www.northinlet.sc.edu/resource/vitex.htm. If you know of areas where
this plant exists, please report the locations to Dale Suiter, USFWS,
Raleigh, NC, 919-856-4520x18 or Dale_Suiter(at)fws.gov.

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3. Oriental bittersweet in NC
From: Beth Bockoven

Last year, North Carolina put Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) on
its state noxious weed list. This meant that it could not be bought or sold
or traded around from place to place. Unfortunately, crafters in western
North Carolina went ballistic and were able to apply enough pressure to get
the state to amend the law and allow selling, transport, etc., in 18 western
North Carolina counties were Oriental bittersweet already exists.

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4. Invasive Plant Position passed by the NC Association of Nurserymen Board
From: Beth Bockoven

In the November-December issue of Nursery Notes, the North Carolina
Association of Nurserymen (NCAN) Board issued a position on invasive plants
were it "supports the science-based criteria to evaluate whether a plant
species is invasive or potentially invasive within each USDA Hardiness Zone
within NC; research and identification of alternative cultivars and plants
both native and non-native; and compliance with the voluntary codes of
conduct (St. Louis, MO 2001) for industry professionals."
Pretty cool, huh?