Climate Change
The Voracious Vine That ‘Ate the South’ Can Also Fuel Wildfires
Brought to the United States as an ornamental porch decoration, the kudzu vine has reshaped itself into ladder fuel for wildfires.
Nearly every Monday morning, five restorationists with Conserving Carolina guide volunteers through the steep hills of Norman Wilder Forest in Tryon, North Carolina. Armed with chainsaws, thick gloves and a pickaxe-like mattock, the group goes hunting for a wily prey: kudzu.
The Voracious Vine That ‘Ate the South’ Can Also Fuel Wildfires