Think that grass on College Green is from Ohio? Guess again: It’s one of many invasive species — or non-native plant or animal species — taking over Ohio University.
OU’s grass species are actually from Europe and Asia — inadvertently brought over with OU’s soil purchases. Invasive species contribute to the aesthetics of OU’s campus so much that isolated areas without an invasive species do not exist.
“There are no natural native plant communities on campus, so invasive species have no impact on campus – they are just green decoration,” said Glenn Matlack, an associate professor of environmental and plant biology.
It was a surprising fact for Zach Riffle, a senior studying biological science, to learn.
“I guess it surprises me because I would think that with the university being in Ohio that they would use plants and other things from Ohio,” Riffle said. “If this invasive species is harmful, then, yeah, it would be a little concerning. If not, I don’t see a real issue in it.”
Not all invasive species are harmless, however.
Invasive species can cause about $132 billion nationwide in annual damages, according to the National Invasive Species Council. Around 50,000 types of non-native species have been introduced to the country, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Some invasive plant species throughout Athens County could harm livestock, including nutsedge and lamb’s quarters.
But they can be prevented.
“This may involve changing the chemistry of soil, the drainage of water, the frequency of fire, etc., which have indirect effects on native species,” Matlack said. “It should be noted, however, that 99 percent of non-native plant species in Athens never move into natural plant communities, so they are nothing to worry about.”
Some farmers in Athens County, though, frequently check their properties to make sure pesky plants do not invade unexpected places. One such farmer is Larry Cowdery, president of the Athens Farmers Market and owner of Cowdery Farms.
“We have ‘weeds’ that I consider more harmful to food production than these species,” Cowdery said. “Farmers manage their farmland intensively and therefore don’t allow these plants to get out of hand.”
Many maintain and contain invasive species by burning, cutting, pulling or spraying. The effectiveness of the methods depends on the species type or amount of time lapsed, Matlack said.
“The most effective strategy is to attack the species early when it hasn’t spread out across the landscape,” Matlack said. “Once the invasion has happened, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle again.”
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