J. Chris Helms stands among a field of an invasive, aggressive weed called phragmites at Carolina Beach State Park.
The reeds are 4 feet high, thick and sharp during a hike through the patch and Helms, superintendent of the state park, said something surprising.
“These have grown in the last four weeks,” he said. “It takes off quickly.”
Rob Emens, environment project manager for the N.C. Department Environmental Quality’s aquatic weed control program, said phragmites doesn’t belong in North Carolina and chokes the life out of everything around it, which is why the state is in the throes of a multi-year effort to get rid of the plants.
Go to Star News Online for the rest of the story.
Filed under: news | Tagged: aquatic invasive species, aquatic weeds, Carolina Beach, Invasive plants, phragmites |
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