Start looking for Japanese Stiltgrass



Early Summer Stiltgrass Infestation

 Now that garlic mustard season is slowing down and turkey and morel hunting has came to an end, it is time for landowners to start looking for Japanese stiltgrass.  This relatively new species may not be on many landowner's radar yet.  While it has been in southern Illinois since the late 1960s, only in the last 15 or so years has it really started to spread wide.  The recent ice and wind storms we've had is only helping this plant take hold in our forests.

Japanese stiltgrass is a serious invader of bottomland and other moist woodlands but can also grow in drier areas.  Keep an eye out for this plant starting to invade along roads, trails, deer paths, streamsides, and fire breaks.  This is an annual plant that produces a lot of seed, so it is important to find and control it before it flowers and reproduces for the year (usually late August to early September). 

Look for patches of a wiry grass with short, wide leaves.  More information on Japanse stiltgrass, including identification tips and control recommendations can be found on the River to River CWMA's 'Species of Concern' page:  http://www.rtrcwma.org/species.html.

Also, the River to River CWMA organized a conference on Japanese Stiltgrass in 2010 and all of the presentations, along with a summary white paper, are available at: http://www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass/.

Report offers help in Japanese Stiltgrass battle

Southern Illinois University and the River to River CWMA recently published a white paper on the result of the 2010 Stiltgrass Summit. A press release on this publication can be found at: http://news.siu.edu/2011/11/112211tjc11098.html. A copy of the white paper can be found at: http://www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass/Whitepaper.pdf.

New detailed literature review of Japanese Stiltgrass

The Fire Effects Information System, a program under the Forest Service, has published a very detailed literature review of Japanese Stiltgrass. The review can be found at:

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/micvim/all.html

New Website on Japanese Stiltgrass

Angie Shelton at Indiana University has created a new website on predicting the spread of invasive species, with a focus on her research on Japanese stiltgrass. The information will be of interest to both land managers and researchers.
Take a look at http://www.indiana.edu/~preserve/InvasiveSpread


To hear Angie’s talk on the topic from the Stiltgrass Summit, hosted by River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area last summer, visit http://www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass/

2010 Stiltgrass Summit presentations are now available online

All of the presentations and panel discussions from the 2010 Stiltgrass Summit are now available online at www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass. The Summit had a great series of presentations, ranging from ecology and spread to control and management of Japanese stiltgrass. They are definitely worth reviewing if you manage this plant.

Presentations

● Microstegium vimineum: George Ainslie’s Discovery and What It Means to Us
Les Mehrhoff – UCONN and IPANE

● No Silver Bullet: Setting the Stage for the Stiltgrass Symposium
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA

● Strategic, Cooperative, and Coordinated Management of Japanese Stiltgrass
Mike Ielmini, USDA Forest Service

● Predictive Spatial Model of Japanese Stiltgrass Spread
Angie Shelton, Indiana University

● Establishment, Spread, and Seed Viability of Microstegium vimineum in Eastern Forests
Cynthia Huebner, USDA Forest Service

● Long-term dynamics and impacts of Microstegium invasion in the Piedmont of New Jersey
Scott Meiners, Eastern Illinois University

● Niche limitations of a vigorous exotic invader, Microstegium vimineum, across temperate forest ecotones
Robert Warren, Yale University

● Understanding the ecosystem-level effects of stiltgrass: does it set the stage for its own success?
Justin Wright, Duke University

● Nitrogen dynamics in a forest understory following invasion by Microstegium vimineum
Jennifer Fraterrigo, University of Illinois

● Positive feedbacks on M. vimineum growth through alteration of nitrogen cycling
Marissa Lee, Duke University

● Impacts and management of Microstegium vimineum invasions
Luke Flory, Indiana University

● Keeping the wolves at bay: Techniques used to slow the spread of Microstegium and other small-seeded invasive plants
Chris Evans, River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area

● Panel Discussion - mp3 (40 megabytes) / wma (40 megabytes) / ogg (122 megabytes)

New Video on Japanese Stiltgrass

Here is a link to a new video about Japanese stiltgrass in Southern Illinois:

http://vimeo.com/12304384

Also, the River to River CWMA is hosting a conference on stiltgrass in August. For more information on that, go to: http://www.rtrcwma.org.stiltgrass/.