An invasive plant has been spotted in southcentral Wisconsin, and scientists are asking the public for help to prevent it from spreading across the region.
Japanese stiltgrass was spotted in Rock County last month.
Mark Renz, a University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension weed specialist and professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, said the grass is bad for a number of reasons.
Japanese stiltgrass is an annual grass, like crabgrass, that can grow in the woods.
“What it does is it produces a lot of fuel, and when that annual grass dies in the winter, that fuel persists, so it can increase the timeframe when fires naturally can occur in the forests,” said Mark Renz, a University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension weed specialist and professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences.