Report Pa. kudzu sites through hotline

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to call the Department of Agriculture to report findings of kudzu, an invasive, climbing vine that has become a problem in some regions of the state.
The toll-free number is 1-877-464-9333.
Devastation. “Kudzu grows over and around other plants, and can be devastating to native plant species,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.
Introduced from Asia, kudzu is a climbing vine identified by alternating leaves, purple flowers and fuzzy brown seed pods which appear in the fall. Kudzu was added to the state’s noxious weed list in 1989.
Locations. The department of agriculture recently visited a kudzu site in Lebanon County to outline its new invasive species management plan for treating the invasive vine.
Since then, consumers from Lebanon and Lancaster counties have called the hotline to report possible kudzu findings.
Pilot program. In 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture received $50,000 to fund the state’s pilot kudzu eradication program and, by the end of last year, 23 locations had enrolled.
The goal of the eradication program is to treat sites for three consecutive years, helping property owners in controlling the weed while monitoring the weed’s spread and decline throughout the state.
Find out more. Findings of kudzu should be reported to the department’s toll-free hotline, 1-877-464-9333.
For more information on kudzu and other noxious weeds, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and click on Animal and Plant Health.