Answer Man: Is kudzu a problem inside national forests, parks near Asheville?

In this installment of Answer Man a reader ponders the invasive species that "ate the South," wondering why kudzu does not seem to have eaten the national forest.

Question: In the letters to the editor column in a recent edition of the paper there was a writer expressing his concern about kudzu and what appears to be its continued expansion as an invasive species. I can certainly agree that along roadsides, in open fields that are not used for growing agricultural crops and along the edge of forests that kudzu seems to be expanding in every possible way it can. I have seen both goats and cattle consuming it where that's possible. And I'm pretty sure that the available herbicides currently are not selective to kudzu and therefore in forested areas kills everything else. What I find interesting is that as someone who has hiked in the forests in our area for over a decade that there is no kudzu in the interior of any forest. What is it that keeps kudzu from expanding into these forested areas? Does that mean the problem is not quite as severe as people might think if they only stick to the roadways?

Answer: I have to admit I have a strange love-hate relationship with kudzu which was brought to the South in the 1930s to control erosion. My experience with the invasive Asian vine has primarily been chopping it out of my backyard. But I gained respect for this plant that has deep tuber-like roots and thick vines that turn out to be great for my kids to swing from Tarzan-style.

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Like the reader who submitted the question, I too have noticed that I don't see much kudzu in Pisgah National Forest. So I turned to Gary Kauffman, who is botanist/ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service in North Carolina.

Kauffman said it is true there is not much kudzu in Pisgah, which covers a half-million acres across Western North Carolina, and that is due primarily to two factors: elevation and shade.

"It's partly elevation. Most of most of kudzu is that lower elevation, and the national forest here is not."

Kauffman said he has seen some kudzu up around 3,000 feet, but most of it tops out at 2,500. For reference, Asheville is at 2,134 feet. Mount Mitchell − the highest point in the Eastern United States − is at 6,684. (Mitchell is in a state park, but it is contiguous to national forest and national park lands.)

Some other parts of national forest, such as Nantahala National Forest which has some lower elevations, do have more kudzu, Kauffman said.

Shade is another reason we don't see much kudzu in the protected forestland, he said. "It can be there, but it will have much, much slower growth," he said.

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Asked if that means we might see more kudzu with climate change, Kauffman said, "I have seen it increasing a bit."

It's hard to assign things directly to a warming planet, but scientists say trends are absolutely noticeable about shifts in species that prefer warmer or cooler environments.

As a praise to kudzu, Kauffman notes it is edible by animals and humans and has flowers that he says smell like a Grape Nehi soda, "and it makes me want a Grape Nehi after smelling a flower," he said.

He also said the reader is correct in that kudzu is not seen as one of the most problematic invasives.

"There's the tree of heaven - or I call it 'hell,'" Kauffman said of the fast-growing deciduous tree. "There's also Japanese spirea, garlic mustard, multiflora rose and privet."

As to what people can do to help slow the spread of invasives, Kauffman recommended joining groups that have trail days to work in the forest, such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. "And certainly don't plant them on your property."

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.