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Global Invasive Species Team listserve digest #043
Thu, 23 Sep 1999 22:29:14 -0700 (PDT)
--CONTENTS--
1. Weed-eating goats with phytotoxic saliva?
2. Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plants Conference in November
3. Goats against catbrier and multiflora rose
4. Have weed laws been used against you?
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1. Weed-eating goats with phytotoxic saliva?
From: Chris Maron (cmaron(at)tnc.org)
I have heard of farmers tieing up goats near multiflora rose patches to
control the patches. The person who told me this also said the goats had
something in their saliva that hindered regrowth. Whether this an "old
farmers' tale", I don't know but I have heard others talk about using
goats in this manner for other invasive species.
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2. Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plants Conference in November
From: Betsy Lyman (blyman(at)tnc.org)
Betsy sent John and me information on an invasive plants conference that
will be held in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, November 3-4. The Pennsylvania
Field Office is involved with organizing this, so it should have a
hands-on focus. I have posted the complete itinerary on our web site at:
http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/news/090799.html
The schedule is posted in Word and Adobe Acrobat -- Barry
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3. Goats against catbrier and multiflora rose
From: Betsy Lyman (blyman(at)tnc.org)
Investigating how to reverse woody succession and restore the grasslands
and savannas at one of our serpentine barrens sites, we tried knocking
back woody vegetation using various combinations of fire, herbicides,
bulldozing, and goats. The goats were very good at knocking back the
catbrier (Smilax spp. -- an invasive native) that was overrunning the
area, as well as the oaks and other trees that were coming in. They also
ate some of the grasses and forbs we wanted to remain, but we rotated the
goats to other pens once they had exhausted the Smilax so they didn't
appear to really hurt the grasses. We did this for two years, housing the
goats offsite during the winters. The data is still being processed, but
from an eyeball survey, the goats seemed to have a greater impact on the
Smilax than did our fire treatment. We have been told by the farmers from
whom we bought the goats that the animals have been very effective in
clearing their fields of multiflora rose.
Our problem with using livestock is that we have to set up appropriate
fencing and have someone local to the site feed and care for the animals,
so we don't use them unless we get a specific grant for that purpose.
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4. Have weed laws been used against you?
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)
A number of TNC preserves have weeds that are legally listed as "noxious".
Have there been any cases where these laws have been used against you or
caused you grief? An anonymous weedy preserve would like to know. :)