OkIPC getting down and dirty on invasive species

Monday, July 7, 2014

They all have more than four letters, but they are certainly bad words in the state of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council (OkIPC) recently released posters, highlighting the state’s most problematic species, The Dirty Dozen. Among the list are the all-too-familiar eastern redcedar, musk thistle and yellow bluestem.

“By educating Oklahoma’s citizens about the most pervasive invading plants in Oklahoma and the negative effects these species can have on our natural resources and our health, we might be able to slow or even prevent the invasion,” said Karen Hickman, OkIPC president and professor in Oklahoma State University’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

With invasive species comes a threat to Oklahoma’s economic and natural resources. The OkIPC seeks to increase awareness through education about invasive plants and encourage legislative and regulatory improvements to increase management practices.

Sericea lespedeza or Chinese lespedeza, which also is a member of The Dirty Dozen, is not only tackling our state, but has been spreading wildly throughout central and southeastern parts of the United States.

“It was originally introduced from China and Japan and bred for soil erosion control and livestock forage” Hickman said. “This aggressive species out-competes the native plants and forms solid stands that are not suitable forage or habitat for wildlife. While Oklahoma still lists sericea as a crop, the States of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado have listed it as a noxious weed.”

Also on the list are field brome, cheatgrass, Chinese privet, Japanese Honeysuckle, Russian thistle, Johnsongrass, saltcedar and Siberian elm.

“These species are costing landowners in our state an untold amount of money for control efforts and lost production,” Hickman said. “We hope these posters will help Oklahomans be able to identify some of them and put some control measures into practice before it’s too late”.

The posters have been distributed to all OSU county Extension educators and the OkIPC would like to distribute them more widely. Those interested in receiving posters should contact Hickman at Karen.hickman@okstate.edu.

More about invasive plant in Oklahoma is available at the OkIPC website, http://ok-invasive-plant-council.org.