Why does Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services care about invasive plants?
These plants can obstruct the safe and efficient flow of stormwater. Drainage systems may provide a pathway for seeds and seedlings of invasive plants to float downstream and spread to other areas. Through the Invasive and Nuisance Plant Management Program, Storm Water Services identifies invasive species and works to control their growth. Examples of targeted plants are: kudzu (Pueraria Montana), Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Japanese and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria spp.), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), privet (Ligustrum sinense), mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), and tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Invasive, exotic plants can destroy well-established plant communities. These trees will die because they cannot out-compete the kudzu infestation. What can I do to control invasive plants? The first line of defense is prevention. Often, the cheapest and easiest way to control the spread of invasive plants is to keep them from growing in your yard in the first place
