Researchers who work in wetlands in Michigan are taking a new approach to invasive plants. They’re harvesting them for fertilizer and fuel. When you’re in the middle of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, you don’t realize how massive it is. It’s 10,000 acres of marshes and bogs, forest and farmland. To put the size in
Mechanical control methods involve the complete or partial removal of plants by mechanical means, including: harvesting, shredding, mowing, rototilling, rotovating, and chaining. These management techniques for plants rarely result in localized eradication of the species, but rather, reduce target plant abundance to non-nuisance levels. Mechanical Harvesting – A mechanical aquatic harvester (harvester) is a type
The Chautauqua Lake Association in New York, announced that over 15 million pounds of aquatic vegetation and storm debris were removed from the lake this summer. Lake cleanup efforts began in May and continued through September. The CLA is managed by an all-volunteer board of directors and funds the organization receives are used to pay
An aquatic plant harvester has been used to scoop up the floating islands of vegetation that have built up on the lake for decades. The process will make the lake easier to navigate for fishermen and other boaters, and should improve the fishing there as well, state experts say. “It will improve the habitat of
Weeds on the Ross River have a new predator in town as Council launches its brand new 6.5 tonne weed harvester to combat invasive species in the waterway. The aquatic weed harvester arrived in Townsville, Queensland, Australia from Aquarius Systems in the United States to replace Council’s older retiring harvester. The new model includes stainless
Lake Shawnee has been identified time and again as one of the most idyllic locations in Shawnee County, Kansas, leading county commissioners to invest heavily in the area in recent years with new walking paths and other features. But maintaining that beauty, and more importantly, what’s under the water, can be challenging and at times
Water hyacinth has been on the Delta for decades, but really exploded in 2011 and 2012 as officials were not able to obtain a permit to spray chemicals in a timely fashion. Efforts to control hyacinth in the Deltas focuses primarily on the use of chemical herbicide applications. Officials aggressively spray chemicals; a prepared document
Water hyacinth has been the scourge of the Delta in recent years, but by this summer it could be providing the power to city lights. A pilot project is in the works to harvest it for biogas. Port of Stockton Environmental Manager Jeff Wingfield says the port is proposing a pilot project to harvest the
Nyamitanga Division Chairperson Moses Karanzi Kajubi says the move to manually remove the water weed should be supported instead of being criticized. He says that they intend to do the cleaning of the river at least once a month, by pulling the water weed out of the water and cut it into pieces so that