Sometimes we reach a site along the Blue Ridge Parkway (on our way to I-25) that the team determines needs special attention. The underpasses on the south side of the BRP and I-26 is one of those sites. The area was overrun with oriental bittersweet vines growing up trees and as foliage. There were also very large patches of Japenese stiltgrass and in smaller numbers, other invasives.
We started off cutting the oriental bittersweet vines off the trees and spraying the cut vines with a small amount of herbicide (25% Accord). We then started walking through the area with herbicide backpack sprayers, spraying the leaves of invasives with herbicide (3% Accord).
UPDATE 9/30/2010
We are pleased to say that our efforts have paid off and the site is looking much better. There is a lot of brown where the stiltgrass has died and the vines on the trees have also died.
