Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force Archived … Beach Vitex Task Force Archived Announcements 2 August 1 Charleston’s Post & Courier featured an article on beach vitex, Folly Outlaws

Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force Archived Announcements 1

Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force Archived Announcements J U L Y ‐ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

July 2005 Hilton Head Monthly magazine featured an article on beach vitex in the July edition , “Invasion of Vitex – How volunteers are keeping a harmful invader off our shores”. Pete Hildebrandt submitted the article. The online reporting form on the Task Force website has proven to be an effective, convenient way to document beach vitex along the NC/SC coasts. The following new or additional locations have been documented to date: (NC) Ocracoke Island, Bogue Banks, Figure Eight Island, Wrightsville Beach (SC) South Litchfield Beach, DeBordieu, Isle of Palms, Sulli‐vans Island, Folly Beach, James Island and Edisto Beach. Also, the SC Department of Natural Resources created a new sea turtle website with links to related projects such as the SC Beach Vitex Task Force webpage. Go to: http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/marine/turtles/news.htm July 5 Bob Schuhmacher, Task Force member and retired botanist, spoke to the North Strand Master Gardeners and gave a plant ID workshop. These gardeners will be surveying areas of the North Myrtle Beach for invasive beach vitex and reporting their findings using the webpage’s online reporting form. July 6 The Moultrie News and James Island Journal carried an article entitled “Beach Vitex slowly creeping its way to Folly shoreline”. Reporter James Lee did the piece as a lead up to Folly Beach Town Council’s July 12 meeting where an ordinance against beach vitex was introduced. July 15 Kate Cummings, a Murrells Inlet resident and a rising senior at the SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathe‐matics, has been working on beach vitex under the direction of Dr. Chuck Gresham at Baruch’s Clemson University lab in Georgetown. Kate presented a poster at the University on her research. July 26 WSCS – Channel 5 News, Charleston, aired a segment on beach vitex as a lead up to Folly Beach Town Council’s vote on an ordinance banning the planting of beach vitex. Folly Beach Town Council had the second and third readings and unanimously passed the ordinance banning the planting of beach vitex. The ordinance also gives the town the right to remove the invasive plant from private property even if the property owner will not do so voluntarily. The passing of the ordinance was aired on Channels 4 and 5 and covered by local newspapers. The Town of Folly Beach is currently in the midst of a $12 million beach renourishment project to put 2 million cubic yards of new sand on their beach. They want to eradicate beach vitex before it is covered by the renourishment. August 2005 Dr. Chuck Gresham provided a film clip showing the hydrophobic properties of beach vitex. The clip shows water being dropped on beach sand from a dune that supports native species. The sand took an average of 0.16 seconds to absorb the water. The next scene shows beach sand from a dune that supports beach vitex. The water dropped on this sand beads up and, after 120 seconds, still has not been absorbed. This is a demonstration of the hy‐drophobic property of most, though not all, sands covered in beach vitex. This phenomena is well known to forest and watershed managers, and a similar situation was reported for the chaparral areas of California. The sand grains below vitex are coated with a wax or oil‐like substance that allow them to repel water, like wax paper. This can be inter‐preted as a defense mechanism to prevent other species' seedlings from establishing under vitex. When an invading seed germinates under vitex and sends out initial roots looking for water, the roots encounter a dry sand and the seed‐ling dies. This can be considered a rare examples of allelopathy, or chemical warfare among plants.


August 1 Charleston’s Post & Courier featured an article on beach vitex, Folly Outlaws Fast‐growing Plant, written by reporter Robert Behre. Sea turtle volunteers from DeBordieu and Hobcaw beaches surveyed undeveloped 2‐mile long Hobcaw Beach and found hundreds of new beach vitex seedlings. Volunteers flagged a number of areas for an upcoming 'Beach Vitex Eradication Day' on Thursday, September 15. Larger plants will be treated with herbicide by Clemson's Baruch Institute aquaculture specialist, Jack Whetstone, and Belle W. Baruch Foundation manager, George Chastain. August 2 Several Task Force members met at Clemson's Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science to re‐view current and future research and outreach efforts. August 10 The Town of Edisto Beach introduced an ordinance which passed the first reading prohibiting the planting of beach vitex . Mayor Burley Lyons modeled Edisto’s ordinance after the one Folly Beach passed on July 26. There will be some amendments made before the next reading the Sept. 8 town council meeting. Mayor Lyons has been in contact with Clemson’s Jack Whetstone about control recommendations for two sites at Edisto. August 15 Task Force coordinator, Betsy Brabson, gave a presentation on beach vitex to the Baruch Foundation Trustees at their quarterly meeting. The Foundation will be administering the second NFWF grant of $30,000. Brabson shared background information on the plant, up‐dated the Trustees on current Task Force activities and plans for con‐trol/eradication projects for fall ’05. August 16 Five Task Force members surveyed nine‐mile long North Is‐land by foot and found no beach vitex. Two plants were found last year. August 26 North Carolina held its first Beach Vitex Symposium at the NC Aquarium at Ft. Fisher near Wilmington. The event was organized by Jackie Harris of the Ft. Fisher Aquarium; David Nash, NC Cooperative Extension Service/NC Task Force coordinator; and Dale Suiter, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Topics covered were: history and cultivation of beach

vitex, survey results along the NC coast (about 200 sites documented to date), the nurserymen's perspective and alternative plants to beach vitex. SC Beach Vitex Task Force members Jack Whetstone, Chuck Gresham, and Betsy Brabson spoke about control, research efforts and task force ac‐complishments, respectively. The NC Beach Vitex Task Force is organizing efforts to combat the invasive plants and looking to its neighbor to the south for guidance. An organizational planning session was held after the symposium for NC and SC Task Force members. Prior to attending the NC Beach Vitex Symposium, Dr. Chuck Gresham, Clemson University, visited Emerald Isle residents Dave and Nancy Tho‐mas. They have a large amount of beach vitex surrounding their oceanfront home. It was initially planted on the street side in 1987 and is now on the seaward side of the front beach dune. Behind the front dune is a secondary dune that supports the house. The secondary dune has a pure vitex cover on the right side of the boardwalk, and the left side is covered with native dune species. Note that there is no vitex under the front porch, a phenom‐ena that is seen at several beach front houses on Pawleys Island.

NC and SC Task Force members at the 1st NC Beach Vitex Sym-posium

North Island Beach Vitex survey


September 2005 The South Carolina Nurseryman (September/October 2005) , the newsletter/magazine for the SC Nursery & Landscape Association, featured a lead article entitled “Concerns About Beach Vitex”. It was written by Chuck Gresham, Clemson University, for the purpose of alerting the nursery industry about the problems with beach vitex. September 1 Pawleys Island’s Coastal Observer ran a small article about Beach Vitex Eradication Day Sept. 15 on Hobcaw Beach entitled “Beach Vitex: Task Force ready to get tough with plant”.

September 8 The Town of Edisto Beach passed an ordinance prohibit‐ing the planting of beach vitex stating that it is ‘unlawful to introduce, plant or maintain beach vitex within the Town of Edisto Beach’. SC Beach Vitex Task Force partners gathered at Clemson’s Baruch Lab, Hobcaw Bar‐ony in Georgetown to discuss an ordinance for Georgetown County pro‐hibiting the planting of beach vitex. It will be introduced to Georgetown County Council at an upcoming meeting. September 16 Bald Head Island, NC introduced a beach vitex ordinance which their Council passed on first reading. There will be a public hearing on Oct. 21. Council also approved a Fall Eradication Program to be con‐ducted Oct. 3‐7. NC Beach Vitex Task Force members plan to cut back the plants and paint the freshly cut stumps with glyphosate. Seeds will be vac‐uumed up and plant parts will be burned in a construction debris con‐tainer.

September 20 Tommy Socha, a member of the SC Beach Vitex Task Force and an employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, Charleston District, gave a power point presentation on beach vitex to the Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Cen‐ter’s Technical Committee (JCPMCTC). Socha spoke about the success of the partnering between Federal, State and public organizations to combat the spread of this invasive plant imported from Korea. The JCPMCTC consists of plant specialists and conservationists from all over the southeast and Washington, D.C. Socha’s presentation illustrated the history of beach vitex in S.C., how the Task Force was formed, and its’ goals and accomplishments. There was great interest and concern expressed by members of the JCPMCTC regarding invasive beach vitex that was planted on the beach dunes by unsuspecting landowners. The JCPMCTC asked to help the SC Beach Vitex Task Force with this important project.

left to right: vitex on seaward side of the front dune; native plants on left side of secondary dune; nearly pure vitex on right side of secondary dune; no vitex in shade

SC BV Task Force partners gath-ered at Clemson to discuss an or-dinance for Georgetown


September 22 Volunteers dug up 104 beach vitex seedlings/plants along 1.3 miles of Hob‐caw Beach in Georgetown County. This ‘Eradication Day’ was postponed a week due to Hurricane Ophelia. The storm severely eroded the beach and took with it many beach vitex seedlings that had been flagged for removal. The seedlings on the remaining .7 mile were sprayed with Ima‐zapyr by Clemson’s Jack Whetstone and Belle W. Baruch Foundation’s George Chastain. They also treated the larger stands of beach vitex and phragmites behind the dunes.

September 26 Jack Whetstone and Chuck Gresham of Clemson Univer‐sity’s Baruch Institute began a research/ demonstration project. Four sites were selected at Pawleys Island and S. Litchfield Beach. At each site, three treatments were established: cut the beach vitex and paint the stumps with glyphosate, basal paint triclopyr, and hack and squirt ima‐zapyr. Hack and squirt is a treatment that involves wounding the stem with a hatchet (hack) and applying an herbicide directly into the wound only (squirt). Sea oats were planted in the cut areas about a week after the glyphosate application The other two treatments will not look different immediately after treatment, but if the treatment is effective, the beach vitex will not re‐leaf in the spring of 2006. If the basal paint and/or hack and squirt treatments produce at least 70% open ground, sea oats will be planted in these areas in the spring of 2006.

When the beach vitex was cut, some was chipped on site and the rest was hauled away in trucks. The limbs hauled away were spread in an open area to dry out for a few days and were then chipped. The two kinds of chips (fresh and dried) were taken to the Georgetown County landfill where they composted the chips separately as they do all their yard waste. When the compost has finished its process, samples (fresh chipped and chipped dry) will be taken and put it in a mist bed in the greenhouses at Brookgreen Gar‐dens to see if any of the composted BV chips sprout. Mist beds are used to propagate plants so this will be a good test to see if the composting killed the beach vitex cuttings. Donna Webster, a graduate student working on her thesis from the Univer‐sity of Illinois, Chicago, visited Pawleys Island, via her motorcycle, to collect beach vitex seeds. She is studying pharmacognosy, the study of natural prod‐ucts. She is interested in the medicinal benefits of the different species of vitex. At Pawleys, she collected Vitex rotundifolia seeds and then headed for Pearl, Texas where she gathered chastetree seeds (Vitex agnus‐castus).

Volunteers at BV ‘Eradication Day’

BV Seedlings removed during edradication

Glyphosate, with purple dye added, was applied shortly after the sites were cut.

Donna Webster


September 29 Pawleys Island’s Coastal Observer newspaper featured a front page article ‘Volunteers Root Up Vitex’. Reporter Charles Duncan tagged along with volunteers on the Sept. 22 dig on Hobcaw Beach and interviewed Task Force partners about the invasive plant. October 2005 The GeoResources Institute of Mississippi State University posted a beach vitex fact sheet on their web‐site at: http://www.gri.msstate.edu/lwa/invspec/beach_vitex.php October 3‐7 Bald Head Island successfully removed over four dump truck loads of beach vitex during their week long eradication effort. Plans are to follow up in spring 2006 with regrowth and seedling control and planting of sea oats.

October 6 The Pawleys Island, Coastal Observer ran a page 2 story, ‘County gathers data toward vitex ban’. Lowes Stores, which sold Vitex rotundifolia in the past, will not carry the invasive plant in the future. The SC Beach Vitex Task Force website address was e‐mailed to vendors by the Lowes' regional plant buyer asking them not to ship the plants to their stores. October 13 The Town of Caswell Beach, NC adopted an ordinance prohibiting the planting of beach vitex. A workshop is planned for residents to educate them on the invasive plant and encourage them to voluntarily remove it from their property. The town hopes to have volunteer help to assist property own‐ers in eradicating their beach vitex. NC Beach Vitex Task Force coordinator, David Nash, will conduct the workshop. view ordinance October 21 The Village of Bald Head Island passed an ordinance declaring it unlawful to plant beach vitex on the island and outlined a program of eradica‐tion and restoration. November 2005 NC and SC Sea Grant Consortium collaborated on a mini‐grant to produce a beach vitex ID card titled Beach Vitex – Kudzu of the Coast. The design is tri‐fold, largely pictorial and contains essential information about why the plant is a threat to coastal dunes and how to identify it. These ID cards will be handy for volunteers to carry while surveying for beach vitex. November 12 Dedicated Isle of Palms sea turtle volunteers who also double as Task Force members organized a ‘Beach Vitex Berry Harvest Party’. The event took place at a beachfront property where an owner had removed his beach vitex. Underground runners sprung up on the beach and these volun‐teers removed the beach vitex fruit before it could be stripped off by wave ac‐tion and be spread by ocean currents.

Beach vitex eradication efforts at Bald Heads Island.

Harvesting BV berries


November 14 Pawleys Island Town Council passed a beach vitex ordinance on first reading. The Planning Commission chairman cited that this document is the most stringent of any other community’s on the coast but that Pawleys Island needs to take a stand. The ordinance was modeled after the one adopted by Edisto Beach and calls for the eradication of beach vitex by property owners. The ordinance states that “The Town will cooperate with private land owners in this task but reserves the right to proceed with the eradication project even if the land owner objects.” A public hearing will be held in regard to this ordinance on Dec. 12 prior to the Town Council meeting. November 17 The entire second front of the Pawleys Island Coastal Observer was covered with photographs and arti‐cles about beach vitex. It focused on the Town of Pawleys Island’s introduction of a beach vitex ordinance which passed first reading on Mon., Nov. 14. A public hearing is scheduled for Mon., Dec. 12.

The USFWS Coastal Program, North‐Inlet Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Huntington Beach State Park, NC State University Extension, and Coastal Ecoscapes have worked in partnership to develop the Coastal Dune Restoration Initiative (CDRI). The purpose of the Initiative is to perform projects that restore native dune habitat on South Carolina coasts. The first CDRI project includes eradication of beach vitex on privately‐owned dune property on Pawleys Island followed by restoration with locally‐grown native dune species. This pro‐ject is in partnership with Clemson University, the Baruch Foundation and the Beach Vitex Task Force. On Novem‐ber 17, beach vitex was removed from the property. Coastal Ecoscapes is currently rearing native species to be planted in the spring.


December 1 An editorial, Beach vitex nipped in the bud, appeared in the Pawleys Island Coastal Observer. view edito‐rial December 2 Twenty eight Lego Robotics League teams from all over NC and SC participated in a competition spon‐sored by York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC. These teams are part of an international organization called First Lego League whose purpose is to introduce students to the fun and experience of solving real‐world engineering problems by applying math, science and technology. Team members are ages 9‐14. The theme of this year's competition was Ocean Odyssey. Teams competed on several levels with one being research. The Cyborg Robotics team from Rock Hill chose beach vitex as their topic and won 2nd place for their power point presentation titled 'Beach Kudzu ‐ Beach Vitex ‐ Coastal Enemy of the State'. After the research presentation, several of the judges (from education and business/industry) commented that they were unaware of this problem. The Cyborgs felt they brought Upstate awareness to this Coastal problem. Next stop for the team is the state tournament in January in Columbia. December 12 Pawleys Island Town Council amended their beach vitex ordinance and passed it unanimously on second reading. Rather than require that owners remove beach vitex from their property, the ordinance strongly encourages the eradication of the plant. It also states that property owners must control beach vitex, keeping it off their neighbors’ property and trimmed east of the OCRM critical line. The council meeting was attended by Task Force representatives of US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, SC Native Plant Society, Clemson’s Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science and the NC Cooperative Extension Service. The ordinance will have a third and final reading on January 9, 2006. December 14 The Georgetown Times ran an article “Island takes lighter stance against owners growing beach vitex”. WPDE Channel 15 in Myrtle Beach featured a brief story on the amended Pawleys Island beach vitex ordinance on their 6:00 and 11:00 newscasts. December 15 A front page article, “Town trims beach vitex ordinance”, appeared in the Pawleys Island Coastal Ob‐server regarding the Town Council’s decision to ‘encourage’ rather than ‘require’ the eradication of the invasive plant.

Beach vitex removal at Pawleys Island

news: FLASH

28 HILTON HEAD MONTHLY

Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) was brought to this area of the U.S. from the Pacific Rim,

particularly Korea, in the late 1980’s as a dune erosion-controlling plant. Landscapers planted it on the dunes. But South Carolina sea turtle volunteers noticed that it had started taking over the dunes, and nothing else grew amid this beau-tiful vine blanket. When in bloom, the plant has a lovely purple flower, but in the background to the flowers is a mat of tenacious greenery. Betsy Brabson, a sea turtle volunteer and head of the South Carolina Vitex Task Force, sent a clipping of the plant to the Clemson Extension service and she received a startlingly negative report back: the plant was extremely invasive and should not be in the dune envi-ronment. Brabson and her group also realized that despite the tenacious grip the plant had on dunes, it actually did little to stabilize the environment – at the same time crowding out natural sea grasses that did work to keep the dunes in place. “We are well aware of the problems associ-ated with this plant,” said Sally Krebs, natu-ral resource administrator in Hilton Island’s Planning Department. “Our own sea turtle volunteer group is keeping a sharp lookout for beach vitex, but has not yet seen it on Hilton Head Island. The message we would most like for island residents to hear is – if at all possible, do not plant this species around your homes. We would like this invasive to stay off our beaches.” As with many invasive species throughout the world, beach vitex was introduced with the idea of gaining benefits. According to Brabson, a horticulturalist from NC State University had observed how well vitex did at stabilizing the

Invasion of the VITEXHow volunteers are keeping a harmful invader off our shores

beach environment in its native Korea. After Hurricane Hugo hit, this individual had the idea that if it could be this beneficial in Korea, it would be a great help on the South Carolina coast. “Despite the good intentions of this person, I have learned that once you take a plant out of its native environment, that plant acts dif-ferently,” said Brabson. “You have not brought its natural predators with you and because the climate here triggers a dormant period – which it does not experience in Korea – on the South Carolina coast vitex produces massive quantities of seeds.” In contrast to the flowering summertime appearance, the plant forms a brown, unat-tractive mat in winter. It also has a taproot that extends very deeply but does not hold the dunes well, all the while choking out native plants that stabilize the sand, such as sea oats, panic grass and other beach grasses. Vitex can have runners up to 60 feet long. With nodes every four inches, it is similar in its structure to ivy. Where it has a node it puts down roots. The silvery green leaves are leathery, with a strong smell similar to eucalyptus. Along the course of sending out long summertime runners, the plant produces seed cases that are actually aided by hurricanes and tropical storms. Branches get snapped off and then the plant spreads to other shores on the currents. “We have found beach vitex growing on a totally deserted, boat-assess-able-only, pristine island,” said Brabson. “The ocean can take the plant anywhere. People have started to call this the ‘kudzu of the coast.’” Brabson first obtained help from a nation-al invasive weed coordinator with the U.S. Geological Survey. They now have an early

detection-rapid response program. The sea turtle volunteers are partnered with a total of 14 differ-ent federal, state and local agencies and organi-zations to monitor and document occurrences of the beach vitex. They also received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation for funds to help them in their work. In addition to herbicides, the group will be trying some more methods this year to fight the spread of vitex. “Some folks in our organization think that hand-removal is the best way to go,” said Brabson. “But the trunks on some of these plants can reach a diameter of four inches. We don’t want to tear up the dunes to get rid of this plant - and then have to get into the beach nourishment business.” The group is experimenting with a cut and paint method in which a branch is lopped off and then painted with herbicide that destroys the plant systemically. The task force is trying to avoid a “knee-jerk” reaction, such as massive sprayings, without documenting how it works. Clemson Extension is currently testing four dif-ferent methods to eradicate the invasive. Vitex has spread extensively on the North Carolina seacoast. South Carolina’s task force has joined forces with North Carolina in work-ing on the problem. “We are also trying to get the attention of the nursery people to try to get them to quit selling this species,” said Brabson. “Then people will quit buying and planting it.” Hilton Head Island’s website has photos and information about beach vitex. To read more and find whom to contact if you spot the plant on the beach, go to: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/Depts/plng/natres/vitexalert.html.– Peter Hildebrandt

VITEX IN THE SUMMER ON PAWLEY’S ISLAND

VITEX DRIES UP IN THE WINTER ON PAWLEY’S ISLAND

BEACH VITEX IN BLOOM PHOT

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Folly Beach prepares to combat aggressive plant species By James Lee Published July 7 in The Journal There is a new arrival on Folly Beach that is looking to make the island its home. Unfortunately, it isn’t the best neighbor; it’s intrusive and eager to take over any place it can. It is called beach vitex or vitex rotundifolia, and it is a plant that found its way from Korea to North Carolina in the 1980s when it was imported by the North Carolina University Arboretum for use in erosion control. It was soon discovered that beach vitex isn’t much for controlling erosion and actually causes harm to beaches by pushing out other plants that help stabilize dunes. By the 1990s, it was showing up on South Carolina’s beaches. Betsy Brabson, coordinator of the South Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force, noticed the plant one morning while combing the beaches in Georgetown County as a turtle nesting volunteer. “I just initially thought it was a pretty plant,” Brabson said. “This time of year, when it is blooming, you can see why people wanted to plant it.” Areas around the Winyah Bay are already experiencing problems with the unruly plant that, while not yet classified as an invasive species, it is spreading. Its round, silvery, gray-green flowers and purplish flowers can be seen on Isle of Palms, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have spotted the plant on Folly Beach where it was discovered growing in some yards. “As far as the city of Folly Beach, it’s devastating,” said Folly Beach City Administrator Toni Connor Rooks. Mayor Vernon Knox is initiating an eradication program to rid the beach of beach vitex, although the solution is not easy. The ordinance establishing the program will go before City Council this Tuesday night. Growing Concern In 2003, the members of the South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts, known as SCUTE, discovered the plant working its way down the base of sand dunes in Georgetown County, and became concerned with the impact of the plant on loggerhead sea turtles. The South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council helped form the South Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force, to detect beach vitex populations, prevent the spread of the plant, asses ecological impacts on other plants and animals, remove and control the populations, and restore native plants once beach vitex is removed. But the plant is aggressive, and both residents and landscaping companies have planted beach vitex as ground-cover without realizing

the harmful effects on the dunes and other wildlife. When planted on the dune line, wave action can either strip runners of their fruit, or take the whole runner, washing it to other coastal shores. Brabson said North Carolina, Florida and Alabama already have issues with the plant. “It’s such an invasive, aggressive plant that it threatens the dune system of South Carolina beaches and sea turtle nesting habitat,” said Brabson. “It’s extremely bad for the turtles and for our other vegetation,” said Rooks. Combating Vitex The task force has a variety of partners, ranging from federal, state and local agencies, as well as other environmental and wildlife groups. Brabson said the task force is working under a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Clemson, one of the partners, is working on researching the plant since “we don’t know anything about it.” There is a recipe for using a herbicide to combat the plant. The plant must be cut and the herbicide painted on its stalk, to control its growth. It can also be killed with general spraying. This must be done without killing the other vegetation that does work to maintain dunes. Rooks said that one of the more difficult aspects of dealing with vitex on Folly Beach will be locating the plant, marking it using GPS technology, and treating it. Following the treatment, the areas where vitex was discovered will have to be monitored to ensure the plant does not return. “While it’s a pretty plant, and people thought it was a good plant for the dunes, it is too aggressive and we sacrifice sea oats and all the other good grasses that do a better job at forming dunes,” she said. “Folly Beach has been very proactive,” said Brabson, noting that other municipalities haven’t put forth such efforts. “They have zero tolerance for beach vitex.” Beach property owners, residents, and others, can help prevent the establishment, introduction and spread of beach vitex and other invasive plants in several ways, according to the S.C. Beach Vitex Task Force. •Volunteer to detect and remove beach vitex seedlings from public beach areas. • Report the location of beach vitex populations to the Task Force Coordinator. • Assist property owners in trimming back beach vitex runners to minimize spread of seeds and stem fragments by water and wave action. • Assist property owners in replacing beach vitex with native dune plants approved by the S.C. Office of Coastal Resource Management. • Use native or non-invasive introduced plants in all landscaping

projects. • Report suspected new invasive plants plants to local and state officials. Help raise awareness and understanding of the invasive species problem – Beach vitex is one of many introduced plants that have become invasive. For more information on Beach Vitex, visit www.beachvitex.org

Herbicide Trials BV Stems(per m2)

BV Cover(%)

BV seedlings (per m2)

SO Stems (per m2)

SO Cover(%)

Other Stems (per m2)

Other Cover(%)

2,4-D 151 21.7 15.5 31.67 5 3.67 .667

Imazapyr 11.3 .5 0 .33 .33 0 0

Triclopyr 98.7 20 0 24.7 6.67 1.11 .388

Glyphosate 100.3 15.17 3 70.7 34.17 1 .27

IntroductionBeach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) was introduced to the coastal dunes of Georgetown County

for dune restoration after Hurricane Hugo. It is native to the Pacific Rim and is used for sand stabilization. It is currently causing concern among sea turtle advocates because it can destroy nesting habitat for the federally endangered loggerhead sea turtles. It is also crowding out native vegetation and the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource

Management is enforcing a regulation against planting it on the dunes. On the other hand, several beach front property owners are convinced that it is holding the dunes better then the native vegetation, like sea oats and bitter panicum. Unfortunately, very little data exists to support these claims. The purpose of this research is to gather data about the ecology

and sand holding ability of beach vitex.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent Cover

1 3 5 7 9 11 13

Sites

Light Readings

GreenhouseFour replications of five treatments were monitored for allelopathic relationships in the greenhouse on sea oats, garden corn, and black eyed peas. The treatments included top leachate, root leachate, shade, litter, and soil, along with their controls. Twentyseeds each of corn and peas and about 350 seeds of sea oats were sowed in each 400 cm2 flat with construction sand or the vitex and control dune soil. The flats were bottom watered with the proper treatment. Seed germination and seedling weight was measured after 20 days.

LaboratoryFive replications of the same four treatments as used in the greenhouse (no shade). Plastic Petri dishes with filter paper wereused with 15 seeds of corn and peas and approximately 150 seeds of sea oats. The filter paper was kept moist with the treatments. After 13 days, seed germination was tallied and seeding dry weights were determined.

HerbicideFour herbicide treatments were applied to a vitex site on Debordieu Beach in September 2004. Treatments were 2% acid formulation of 2,4-D sprayed on the foliage, 5% Imazapyr in MSO sprayed on the foliage, 20% Triclopyr in vegetable oil painted on the stems, and 10% Glyphosate sprayed on the foliage. Three meter sq. plots were inventoried for each treatment. BV represents beach vitex and SO stands for sea oats. Other was mostly pennywort.

Hydrophobic soilsSurface soil samples were gathered from vitex and control dunes from ten sites. After air drying, hydrophobic properties were tested by placing a drop of water on the soil. The number of seconds for the soil to completely absorb the water was recorded.

Soil CoreIn vitex areas and control areas (if available) two 10 cm diameter soil core samples were taken to a 60 cm depth. The samples were divided into three depths of 0-15, 15-30, and 30-60. These samples were sieved to separate the roots, then a small portion of the soil was air dried to be tested for hydrophobic properties like in the surface soil experiment. The roots were dried at 60ºC overnight and weighed.

Vegetation and SeedlingsTwo circular plots with area 1 sq. meter were inventoried to determine species composition of vitex and control dunes at seven sites. Three similar plots were used at fifteen sites to determine the number of vitex seedlings.

LightA Li-cor PAR meter was used to determine light on the soil surface and above the vitex. A meter stick was randomly placed on the ground and 11 light readings were taken at 0 and at 10 cm intervals.

Average Max Min

Count6/14-7/5/05

Seedlings/m2

38.8 226 0

Survival7/6-8/05

%Dead 73.5 100 0

%Alive 26.5 100 0

Number on graph

Location

1 1131 Norris

2 873 Norris

3 Summer Academy

4 612 Spring

5 634 Spring

6 686 Spring

7 702 Spring

8 700 Spring

9 Pink Hs

10 665 Spring

11 564 Myrtle

12 Control 1

13 Control 2

14 Control 3

Vitex Dune Native DuneVitex Stems

Pennywort

Sea Oats

Sea Oats

Pennywort

Other

Number per m2

49.9 6.16 6.1 34.17 6.5 1

Percent Cover (Average)

87.5 <1 1.09 17.92 2.75 <1

Max % Cover

87.5 <1 1.67 39.5 6.25 <1

Min % Cover

87.5 <1 <1 17.5 <1 <1

Depth (cm) Vitex (sec)

Control(sec)

0-15 Average 32.5 4.4

Max. >120 28

Min. <1 <1

15-30 Average 9.9 .92

Max. >120 4

Min. <1 <1

30-60 Average .7 .5

Max. 3 <1

Min. <1 <1

Depth range (cm) Vitex covered dune (g/m3)

Dune with native species (g/m3)

0-15 722.14 280.01

15-30 459.61 528.85

30-60 993.25 298.78

Hydrophobic Surface Soils

Vitex, 65.95

Control, 13.8333333

0

20

40

60

80

1

Seconds to absorb water

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

Grams

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Treatments

Biomass in Petri Dishes

Series1Series2Series3

Number in graph

Treatment

1 Top

2 Top Control

3 Root

4 Root Control

5 Soil

6 Soil Control

7 Litter

8 Litter Control

Series 1 Corn

Series 2 Peas

Series 3 Sea Oats

0

5

10

15

Grams

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Treatments

Greenhouse Biomass

Series1

Series2Series3

Top Leachate

Root Leachate

Soil Origin

Litter Type

Shade Presence

Treatment 42.7 38.9 29.1 39.6 51.9

Control 42.9 46.9 58.6 25.7 43.4

An Investigation of the Aggressive Behavior of Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia)

Kate Cummings, Governor’s School for Science and MathematicsMentor: Chuck Gresham, Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science

Project Conclusions• Vitex is in fact an aggressive invasive plant due to the lack of native plants among the vitex.• Competitive advantages include deep shading, probable allelopathy through root leachates, and the production of hydrophobic soil. •Herbicide trials show how to eradicate it, even though all other species were killed.

Series 1 Corn

Series 2 Peas

Series 3 Sea Oats

Number in graph

Treatment

1 Top

2 Top Control

3 Root

4 Root Control

5 Soil

6 Soil Control

7 Litter

8 Litter Control

9 Shade

10 Not Shaded

Conclusion: The root leachate depressed growth of all three species, vitex litter and shade decreased pea growth, but corn was not affected by the treatments.

Percent Germination in the Greenhouse

Conclusion: Vitex soil greatly depressed the seed germination of corn and peas and slightly for sea oats. Root leachate also depressed germination of sea oats by 70 percent and much less for the other species.

Conclusion: Biomass was not affected by the different treatments

Conclusion: Imazapyr killed everything while the other herbicides had little effect on the vitex.

Root Biomass by Depth

Conclusion: Surface and deeper layers had the most biomass for vitex dunes while the middle layer had more roots with native species. Overall, vitex had almost twice as much root biomass.

Hydrophobic Test Results for Core Samples

Conclusion: Vitex was more hydrophobic at all depths, hydrophobic properties decreased with depth, and the hydrophobic effect was insignificant at the lowest depth.

Vegetation Inventory

Conclusion: Significant drop in number and percent cover in sea oats in the presence of vitex, but no drop in number of pennywort.

Seedling Count and Survival under Vitex

Conclusion: Last year’s vitex plants produced 40 seedlings per sq. meter, however only a quarter lived over a two week period.

Conclusion: Vitex produced shade from 99-59% of full sun, while the dune with native species produced shade from 18-40%.

Conclusion: Surface soils under vitex were greatly hydrophobic compared to dune with native species.

Factoid: Kudzu’s shade was 99.3% at one location

Life under vitex

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Monday, August 01, 2005 - Last

Folly outlaws fast-growing vitex

BY ROBERT BEHRE Of The Post and Courier Staff

FOLLY BEACH--This summer, the biggest enemy in this beach community isn't sharks or developers or the oppressive heat: It's an innocuous-looking plant with greenish gray leaves, a pretty purple flower and a pleasant smell.

It's beach vitex, also known as beach kudzu.

The plant, native to Korea, has spread on Folly Beach and, if left unchecked, threatens to crowd out sea oats and other native plants that anchor the dunes. It also has cut off sea turtle nesting sites on other beaches.

That's why Folly Beach City Council unanimously agreed last week to outlaw the plant. Experts said it was South Carolina's first town to take such a step.

The city's ordinance not only makes it illegal to have vitex growing in your yard but also gives the city the authority to come in and remove it if you do. City employees currently are scouring the island to try to find it all.

Mayor Vernon Knox summed up the city's zero tolerance toward vitex this way: "If we find it, we are going to get rid of it. Period."

The city acted after hearing from Tommy Socha with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who had been surveying the area as part of its ongoing $12 million beach renourishment project. Socha is coordinating the planting of sea grass and fences along almost 29,000 feet of the beach.

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Socha said he first saw vitex in 1993 on Pawleys Island, and he has become increasingly concerned about its rapid growth there and beyond.

"Since then, this plant has gone crazy. Wherever it is, it grows so fast. You just can't imthis will take over the area," he said. Socha also said the plant doesn't seem to build upas native grasses and sea oats.

"When this thing won't let the turtles nest, that's a real problem," he said.

Folly isn't the only government taking note. The state office of Ocean and Coastal ResouManagement now prohibits the planting of vitex in areas under its jurisdiction, said oceaEiser.

"The problem is people still can plant it in their yards and it will spread to the dunes. Wewhat people will plant in their yards. That's out of our jurisdiction," he said.

Vitex is an "invasive species," a non-native plant, and has been found in about 75 locatistate's coast, covering about 100 acres, mostly in Georgetown County, said biologist Raof U.S. Geological Survey.

"We might not have even 100 acres of this stuff, total, but if you consider where we arekudzu, 100 years later, that's where were going to be at," Westbrooks said. "It's just goToday, it's a very small problem compared to what it will be."

Betsy Brabson, a Georgetown County resident who now leads the South Carolina BeachForce, said she has been trying to get the word out and has been making some progress

On Hobcaw Beach, just south of Debidue Beach, Brabson and others dug up 400 vitex syear. "This year, we haven't seen one seedling, but there's been a lot of accumulation omay be covered up," she said. "It's a wolf in sheep's clothing."

She said the plant also has been found on North Island, which is accessible only by boatcan get in the currents and be carried."

The U.S. Geological Survey is deciding whether to encourage North Carolina and South Cthe plant as noxious, which could prevent its sale. It also could recommend that the fedadd it to its noxious weed list.

"In South Carolina, I'm hoping we eventually will get rid of it all," Westbrooks said.

That could take some doing, however.

Seascape Villas, a five-story condominium complex on the Isle of Palms, planted 11 smanine years ago to help hold the dune in place. Since then, it since has taken over the sothe building and the sea, said regime manager Lona Vest.

Brabson said turtle watchers have seen four "false crawls" there, signs that turtles crawvegetative mat, then turned around and headed back to sea. The condo's owners are wrwhat to do.

"Right now, we're taking a wait-and-look approach," Vest said. "We've been contacted bgroups, but unfortunately, if we tore it out, we would lose all of our dune protection."

Folly Beach administrator Toni Connor Rooks said her city wanted to act quickly before tany more established on that island. She also said the city's stern stance toward vitex hso far, and property owners involved have been happy to cooperate.

Spartanburg women's team heads fbilliards tournament Folly outlaws fast-growing vitex



"Everyone that we have approached, they were devastated to think it was on their prop

Westbrooks said Folly Beach's vitex ban is encouraging because, while there might havereasons to import vitex years ago, those reasons have begun to pale in comparison to wabout the plant now.

"It's a beautiful flower, no doubt, and maybe it will control erosion," he said. "At the samgot to ask, 'Do we want this thing growing all the way up and down the East Coast?' "



Concerns about Beach Vitex By Chuck Gresham, Clemson University Quoting Clare Boothe Luce, the legendary editor, playwright, politician, journalist, and diplomat, “No good deed goes unpunished.” This same philosophy can be applied to the Georgetown County beachfront property owners who rebuilt their front dunes after Hurricane Hugo badly eroded them. Their good deed was properly rebuilding the beach dune and planting vegetation to hold the sand in place. Their punishment was that the introduced beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) they planted appears to be an aggressive invader that, once established, does not allow sea oats and beach grass to also become established on the dunes. Dedicated volunteers who monitor loggerhead sea turtle nesting along South Carolina’s beaches are also concerned about vitex covering front beach dunes. In 2003 they reported a false crawl at Pawleys Island where the turtle came up to some vitex and turned around without nesting. No one has actually seen a turtle trying to dig in vitex although that is the concern and it is probably just a matter of time. In another case, 80 hatchlings at the Isle of Palms headed toward the light of some condos when they hatched out of their nest. They became entangled in a large planting of vitex and died of dehydration. Because these turtles are federally threatened and have recently had a very poor nesting season, the presence of beach vitex on front dunes is of concern to those interested in the conservation of native flora and fauna.

Beach vitex is simple to recognize especially when it is growing on beach dunes. It is a low-growing woody shrub with prostrate rhizomes and short vertical stems. The oval to nearly round leaves are opposite on the stems, dark green above and light green to chalky white on the undersides. The leaves begin to turn brown to black in October and fall by November. Blue flowers appear in terminal racemes in June after vertical shoot elongation and fall off in August. The fruit is a small (1/4” diameter) hard, black, capsule with four seeds that turns from green to black in by late August to early September. The only native dune species that appears similar to beach vitex is silver-leaf croton (Croton punctatus). Croton’s leaves are not opposite and are covered with small scales, its stems are smaller, not as woody as beach vitex, and croton does not produce rapidly growing prostrate rhyzomes. The chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus) is in the same genus as beach vitex, has similar flowers, but chastetree grows much taller than beach vitex and does not grow on front beach dunes.

Beach vitex is native to Southeast Asia. It is found from China, Taiwan and Japan south to Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Australia, Pacific Islands and Hawaii. In Hawaii, Korea, and Japan it is cultivated as a sand binder in coastal areas. The plant has an historical medicinal tradition and recent Japanese research has demonstrated that seed extracts have considerable growth inhibitory activity against human lung cancer cells and human colon cancer cells.

In the 1980s, beach vitex was imported by the North Carolina University

Arboretum for use as a beach stabilization plant and is present on the North Carolina beaches south of Atlantic Beach. In Georgetown County South Carolina, it was first planted on Pawleys Island and Debordieu Beach in 1991 following rebuilding dunes that

were damaged by Hurricane Hugo. Recent surveys have located beachfront populations as far south as North Inlet and as far north as North Litchfield Beach in Georgetown County. Statewide, beachfront populations have been located on Garden City Beach in Horry County and on Isle of Palms and Folly Beach in Charleston County. The Myrtle Beach area has not been surveyed and the southern beaches of Charleston and Beaufort counties do not have beachfront populations. Regionally, it has also been found on beachfront locations in Florida and Alabama.

Beach vitex came into the spotlight when sea turtle volunteers realized that large plantings could interfere with sea turtle nesting and hatching and observed rapidly expanding plantings. Although these plantings produced a dense vegetative dune cover, which is desirable from a beach erosion standpoint, there appeared to be no native beach dune species present in the plantings. This raised concern among those dedicated to preserving the native beach plant communities that have already suffered from beachfront development.

Measurements made at nine frontdune beach vitex plantings on Debidue Beach,

Pawleys Island, and Litchfield Beach indicated that beach vitex stems accounted for 84% of the stems and 86% of the vegetative cover, whereas native dune species accounted for 2.8% of the stems and 3.8% of the cover in these plantings. Growth measurements indicated that beach vitex vertical shoot growth in 2004 was about 1.1 feet, and that prostrate seaward rhizomes grew as much as 10.8 feet in 2004. The 2004 seedcrop was also large, with an estimated 1,014 seed produced per square foot of beach vitex planting. Other experiments designed to determine why there were no native dune species among the beach vitex found deep shade below mature plantings (from 2.3 to 10.7% of sunlight reaching the soil surface) and the surface soil of about half of the beach vitex plantings exhibited a strong hydrophobic reaction. When a drop of water was released just above the soil, the water formed a bead on the soil and was not absorbed after two minutes. Greenhouse experiments to test for other possible allelopathic interactions (chemical warfare among plants) were inconclusive.

So what are the options available to beachfront property owners who have established beach vitex populations. If the property owner is comfortable with their current beach vitex cover and accepts the fact that native dune species will not be present, then they should keep the beach vitex trimmed back to prevent it from invading adjacent property whose owners might not want it. Also they should remove it from the lower half of the seaward side of front dunes so it will not interfere with loggerhead sea turtle nesting. This requires the property owner to be resident on the beachfront property or to provide landscape maintenance periodically during the growing season. If the property owner wants native dune species on their front dunes, then the beach vitex must be eliminated. This can be accomplished by cutting it at ground level and removing as much of the root system as possible. The removed stems and rootstock should not be casually piled out of site assuming it will decompose. Quite likely, some of the stems on the bottom of the pile will root, thus establishing another population. To prevent this, one should burn cuttings and rootstock. Ongoing experiments are evaluating the use of

selected herbicides that are registered for aquatic use to kill beach vitex, which if successful, will eliminate the plant without disturbing the dune soil.

Once beach vitex is eliminated from front dunes, a vegetative cover needs to be established. Sea oats and beach grass are traditional species for planting but there are few growers producing transplant stock. Cord grass (Spartina patens) normally grows on the marsh side of barrier islands just above the high tide line, but it has been successfully transplanted to front dunes. Other native beach species successfully transplanted include bitter panicum (Panicum amarum) and seaside elder (Iva imbricata). These native species can grow in the harsh environment of front beach dunes and are not endangered or threatened species.

For the most recent information about beach vitex management and research visit the South Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force website (http://northinlet.sc.edu/resource/ vitex.htm). Mrs. Betsy Brabson (843 546-9531) is the Task Force Director and Mr. Jack Whetstone at Clemson’s Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science can provide additional information about this species of concern.

Picture Captions:

Dscn 4653 Vitex routundifolia flowering stem in June on Pawleys Island.

Dscn 4645 Large woody root of vitex grows at or just below the dune surface.

Dscn 4745 Vitex patch (left side) and front dune covered with native vegetation (right side) on Pawleys Island.

Dscn 4657 Vitex patch if full flower in mid-June.

Dscn 4760 Vitex in full seed in mid-July.

Dscn 4734 Vitex runners covering a front dune and growing on the upper beach.

BY CHARLES DUNCAN COASTAL OBSERVER

A proposed ordinance to ban beach vitex from Georgetown County’s beaches is probably two or three months away from being drafted.

Carol Coleman, Georgetown County’s planning director, said the planning staff is weighing all the research it has received about the invasive plant.

“It’s going to be a while before we put everything together regarding vitex,” Coleman said. “That, is an important work in progress.” Vitex, which creates a beautiful bloom, is invasive, rude and isn’t likely to leave beach life without a little help from its only known

predator, the Beach Vitex Task Force headed by Betsy Brabson. Vitex stresses or threatens American beach grass, panic grass and sea oats. Its dense growth on the dunes also interferes with sea

turtle nesting and hatchings. Other beach communities are in the process of banning vitex, introduced in the 1980s as a way to stabilize the beach. These

communities are developing a no-tolerance policy for beach vitex. Edisto Beach, Folly Beach and Caswell Beach, N.C., are among the growing contingent of communities saying no to beach vitex. “They don’t want it on their beach,” Brabson said. “They’re outlawing it. Everyone is kind of looking at each other’s ordinance to

craft it to their respective beach.” The thought of vitex as a useful anti-erosion tool quickly proved a bad idea, Brabson said. “We really don’t know anything about this plant,” Brabson said. “Everything we know, we’re having to learn. Clemson University is

working on research and control. It’s a continuing educational process.” A U.S. Geological Survey team is working to assess if beach vitex should be regulated as a noxious weed on the state and federal

level. Also, the state Department of Natural Resources is surveying beaches in search of sea turtles and beach vitex. However, the real research breakthrough is likely to come from university researchers. “Clemson is working with different herbicides to determine which work best,” Brabson said. “We don’t want to kill anymore native

plants. [Clemson researchers] are discovering that the cut-and-paint method is successful.” Cut-and-paint involves cutting vitex branches to the nub and painting the stems with effective herbicides. The method does not

disturb the native plants adjacent to the altered vitex plants, Brabson said. There is some written information about beach vitex, unfortunately, it’s written in Korean, Brabson said. “We’re working to have that translated,” she said. Locals anxious to get involved in the vitex removal effort are urged to attend plant training sessions sponsored by the S.C. Beach

Vitex Task Force. The sessions will help novice vitex hunters identify the invasive plant and learn how to distinguish it from other plant life.

Experts like Brabson urge vitex beginners to avoid any attempt to remove the plant by themselves. Currently, the Beach Vitex Task Force is mapping all locations in an effort to monitor the plant. Brabson said that volunteers are

always needed to monitor our beaches and help with projects. For more details about beach vitex, also known as the “kudzu of the coast,” contact Brabson at 546-9531.

AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF CASWELL BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA

TO DECLARE BEACH VITEX (VITEX ROTUNDIFOLIA) A HIGHLY INVASIVE PLANT AND THEREFORE A PUBLIC NUISANCE, AND TO MAKE

IT UNLAWFUL TO PLANT BEACH VITEX WITHIN THE CORPORATE BOUNDARIES AND BEACHES OF CASWELL BEACH AND TO PROVIDE

FOR ERADICATION AND RESTORATION.

WHEREAS, the beach strand of Caswell Beach represents one of its most valuable natural resources, providing areas for public recreation, attraction of tourists and other visitors, and providing a major boost to the area economy; and WHEREAS, there are two known species on the Federal Endangered List (loggerhead sea turtles and seabeach amaranth) which would be severely threatened by the flora know as Vitex Rotundifolia (hereinafter Beach Vitex); and WHEREAS, there are other species including, but not limited to Sea Oats, Bitter Panicum, Seashore Elder, and American Beachgrass that are severely threatened by the invasive growth of the vitex plant; and WHEREAS, the North Carolina Agricultural Extension office has informed Town personnel and citizens that Beach Vitex destroys the above described plants which protect our dunes, and further, Beach Vitex provides little if any protection for dunes, therefore significantly increasing the likelihood of damage to the dunes, the beaches, and therefore Town infrastructure and State passageways; and WHEREAS, Beach Vitex, a plant species that is not native to this country much less Oak Island, has been found growing in many places within Caswell Beach, including the land side of beach dunes; and WHEREAS, the spreading and persistence of Beach Vitex has caused harm and will continue to cause harm to native species; NOW, THEREFORE, by the power and authority granted to Caswell Beach by the Constitution of the State of North Carolina and the powers granted by the General Assembly of the State through General Statute, it is hereby ordained and enacted that: 1. Declaration of Public Nuisance.

That Ordinance 95.15 Entitled “Certain Conditions Prohibited” shall be modified to add an additional subparagraph (E) that shall read as follows:

The plant known as Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is hereby found and is declared to be a public nuisance due to the significant negative impacts this plant will have upon the public beaches and sand dunes, loggerhead turtles and native vegetative such as Sea Oats,

Bitter Panicum, Seashore Elder, and American Beachgrass. It shall be unlawful for any person to plant or cause to be planted Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) on any property located within the municipal town limits of the Town of Caswell Beach.

2. That Ordinance 95.17 entitled “Notice to Abate Nuisance” shall be amended to add the following:

In cooperation with the following organizations, said list not being exhaustive, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NC Cooperative Extension, South Carolina Beach Vitex Taskforce, North Carolina Beach Vitex Taskforce, NC State University, a program(s) will be developed to eradicate Beach Vitex from municipal limits. Upon identification of any Beach vitex plant, the property owner shall be ordered to eradicate the plant from his property pursuant to an acceptable means of removal and disposal. As eradication precedes restoration, the plant must be removed from properties before the property is restored with native plants or other appropriate plants. As Beach Vitex has the ability to generate new plants from seeds, stem sections and root sections, the proper disposal of plants and plant parts is important. The Town shall be responsible for the collection of Vitex separately from other yard waste and will treat it appropriately. Beach Vitex clippings shall not be chipped and shredded into mulch and distributed to any yard waste disposal site. The Town shall cooperate with private landowners in this task to proceed with the eradication. The penalty for failure to comply with this ordinance shall be as prescribed in Section 10.99.

3. This ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its passage and the Town Clerk shall place a copy of the ordinance in the ordinance book.

Adopted this the 13th day of October, 2005. TOWN OF CASWELL BEACH By: _____________________________ Harry Q. Simmons, Jr., Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ Linda C. Bethune, CMC, Town Clerk

ORDINANCE NO. 2005-014

AN ORDINANCE OF THE VILLAGE OF BALD HEAD ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA TO DECLARE BEACH VITEX (VITEX ROTUNDIFOLIA) A HIGHLY INVASIVE PLANT AND THEREFORE A PUBLIC NUISANCE, AND TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL TO PLANT BEACH VITEX ON BALD HEAD ISLAND AND OUTLINING A PROGRAM OF IRRADICATION AND RESTORATION. WHEREAS, the beaches of Bald Head Island are among the Village’s most valuable natural resources, providing areas for public recreation, attraction of tourists and other visitors, and providing a major boost to the Island’s economy; and WHEREAS, there are three species on the Federal Endangered List (loggerhead sea turtles, piping plovers, and seabeach amaranth) severely threatened by Beach Vitex; and WHEREAS, there are other species including but not limited to Sea Oats, Bitter Panicum, Seashore Elder, and American Beachgrass that are also severely threatened; and WHEREAS, Beach Vitex destroys these plants which protect dunes, and provides little if any protection for dunes, therefore significantly increasing the likelihood of damage to the dunes, the beaches, and therefore Island infrastructure; and WHEREAS, Beach Vitex, a plant species that is not native to this country much less this Island, has been found growing in many places on this Island including the land side of beach dunes; and WHEREAS, the spreading and persistence of Beach Vitex has caused harm and will continue to cause harm to native species; NOW THEREFORE, by the power and authority granted to The Village of Bald Head Island Council by the Constitution of the State of North Carolina and the powers granted to the Village by the General Assembly of the State, it is ordained and enacted that:

1) Declaration of Public Nuisance. The plant known as Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia), is hereby found and declared to be a public nuisance due to the significant negative impacts this plant has upon the public beaches and sand dunes and loggerhead turtles, piping plovers, and native vegetative noted above. It is estimated that there are five acres of Beach Vitex on Bald Head Island located in at least thirty-two different locations.

2) Planting of Beach Vitex Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to plant or cause to be planted Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) on any property located on Bald Head Island in the County of Brunswick.

3) Eradication and Restoration.

In cooperation with the following organizations (others may be added) Bald Head Island Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife Service, NC Cooperative Extension, South Carolina Beach Vitex Taskforce, North Carolina Beach Vitex Taskforce, NC State University, a program (s) will be developed to eradicate Beach Vitex from Bald Head Island. As eradication precedes restoration of these areas with native plants and other appropriate plants will be accomplished. The Village will cooperate with private land owners in this task but reserves the right to proceed with the eradication and restoration project even if the land owner objects.

4) Disposal.

Since Beach Vitex has the ability to generate new plants from seeds, stem sections and root sections, the proper disposal of plants and plant parts is important. The Village will collect separately form other yard waste and will treat appropriately. Beach Vitex clippings will not be chipped and shredded into mulch and distributed around the Island.

5) Financing of this project.

The Village of Bald Head Island will provide funding for this project with the expectation that grants will be made available at a later date to provide cost sharing and/or reimbursement for the cost of this project. It is anticipated that it will take three to five years to completely eradicate Beach Vitex from Bald Head Island. Estimated cost is $5,000.00 per acre over this period of three to five years. It is recognized that future programs of education may be necessary and the Village may undertake such as the Council may form time to time approve.

6) This ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its passage.

Adopted this 21st day October, 2005. SIGNED:

By: ______________________________ Larry Lammert, Mayor ATTEST: Amy R. Candler, Village Clerk


Beach vitex soon will be a banned substance in the town of Pawleys Island. Pawleys Island Town Council this week gave first reading to an ordinance that bans planting of beach

vitex on the island. Mayor Bill Otis said the council is responding to concerns that the invasive plant wreaks havoc on native

plants. Beach vitex, native to the Pacific rim, stresses or threatens American beach grass, panic grass and sea

oats. The dense growth also impedes sea turtle nesting in the dunes. The ordinance would make it unlawful to introduce, plant or maintain beach vitex on Pawleys Island. It

also holds property owners responsible for the eradication and disposal of the plant on their property. Clemson University researcher Charles Gresham says that eradication of the beach vitex is the best

agricultural practice when dealing with the plant. One method involves cutting vitex branches to the nub and painting the stems with effective herbicides.

The method does not disturb the native plants adjacent to the vitex, said Betsy Brabson, coordinator of the S.C. Beach Vitex Task Force.

Information about the plant and eradication methods will be made available at Town Hall. Brabson told council that it is important to educate property owners on the methods to dispose of beach

vitex. “It should be disposed of like construction debris and buried in the landfill,” she said. Disposal as yard debris could result in the plant being chipped and converted into mulch, giving the plant

another opportunity to get into the soil. Neighboring beach communities are in the process of outlawing the invasive plant, introduced in the

1980s as a method of beach stabilization. Coastal communities are developing a no tolerance policy for beach vitex.

Pawleys Island’s ordinance is based on one from Edisto Beach. Georgetown County is likely to introduce an ordinance banning beach vitex. Planning director Carol

Coleman said an ordinance is in the formative stages. “The research is done,” she said this week.

Beach vitex nipped in the bud BEACH VITEX MOVES FAST. A Clemson University study last year found the plant’s shoots grew an average of six feet in a year. It’s fortunate that local government has also moved fast to counter the potential threats of this plant. The town of Pawleys Island is close to enacting a ban on planting and requiring property owners to remove existing stands of the plant. Georgetown County is preparing a similar ordinance.

The interface of science and public policy is often a jungle filled with angry cries in the night. Although beach vitex doesn’t have the moral or economic tangles that entwine other issues, it is still encouraging to see how a collaborative effort emerged to deal with the problems posed by this plant.

Beach vitex is native to the Pacific Rim. It was recommended in the 1990s as a plant that could be used to stabilize dunes and reduce erosion. In 2003, volunteers who watch for nesting sea turtles in Georgetown County became concerned about the dense growth of vitex they found on the front beach. Federal and state agencies quickly became involved along with university researchers. Dr. Chuck Gresham of Clemson’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology studied the plant at nine sites between DeBordieu and North Litchfield. He concluded that vitex meets all the criteria to be considered an invasive species.

The case against beach vitex is that is crowds out native plants that do a better job of holding the dunes in place. Since South Carolina has long has a sensible policy of not permitting seawalls and rock revetments along the beachfront, dunes are vital to a stable coastline.

Vitex still hasn’t made the official list of invasive species, but the evidence for a listing is strong. Local governments in the Charleston area and parts of North Carolina have already adopted bans on vitex. Nurseries in this area have stopped carrying the plant and it’s hard to imagine any beachfront property owner would begin cultivating vitex today.

Georgetown County’s ordinance is expected to stop short of requiring owners to remove vitex from the land. It will require them to contain it on their property. That could be a problem if existing plots of vitex produce roots and seeds that are carried along the coast. The level of concern among beachfront property owners seems sufficient encouragement for them to remove existing plants. Researchers are now studying methods for doing that without damaging the dunes or native plants. Cooperation has been the key so far. It will remain an important factor as communities work to bring this invasive plant under control.


Pawleys Island Town Council has approved an ordinance to control beach vitex that is less invasive on property owners. The town eliminated a provision calling for property owners to eradicate beach vitex, a dune plant that is under review as an invasive

species. Instead owners will have to contain the plant to their property. Beach vitex is not allowed east of the “critical line” where land is subject to state coastal regulations.

Mayor Bill Otis says the change to the ordinance was prompted by questions about beach vitex that remain unanswered. “We have to walk this line in an appropriate manner to be fair to everyone,” he said. “The scientific evidence is enough to scare the

hell out of you, but not enough to force property owners to eradicate it from their property.” S c i e n t i s t s t o l d c o u n c i l m e m b e r s

SEE “TOWN,” PAGE 3 CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE there are five facts to consider: vitex is not native to America; it’s invasive and chokes out native plants; erosion happens regardless of plants stabilizing the dune system, vitex takes over uninhabited beachfronts, and eradication of the plant must be a cooperative effort.

That wasn’t enough to convince Town Council to require property owners to eradicate vitex. However, the ordinance does make it unlawful to plant beach vitex on Pawleys Island. It does encourage property owners to eradicate the plants.

“We’ll come back to revisit this issue to add some enforcement teeth,” Otis said. “Fines are imminent if property owners fail to control and maintain this plant.”

Those who have studied the plant want it eradicated. They are concerned that it will lead to the demise of native plants and the thick growth of vitex will interfere with nesting by loggerhead sea turtles.

Betsy Brabson, coordinator of the S.C. Beach Vitex Task Force, noted that Pawleys Island has the largest concentration of beach vitex along the East Coast.

David Nash, a coastal management agent with North Carolina State University, told council that vitex has the potential to move rapidly.

“Eventually, you could lose all your native plants,” he said. “As a community, you need to ask yourself what do you want the Pawleys Island beachfront to look like in 20 years.”

John Brubaker, a member of the S.C. Native Plant Society told council members that undisputable evidence is hard to come by. Brubaker has seen 75-foot runners on vitex plants introduced to the beachfront six years ago. He estimates that the runners grow 10 feet a year.

“Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling,” he told council members in reference to their decision on the fate of beach vitex. Randy Westbrooks, invasive plant coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey, told council half measures will only add to the

problem. “It could be declared a noxious plant in six months,” Westbrooks said. “People will have to take ownership of this issue then. It will

move to people that don’t want it. It’s a public nuisance and if you don’t do something about it now, things are only going to get a lot worse.”

But Bob Irby, a Pawleys Island resident, said it would be irresponsible for the town to pass an ordinance calling for homeowners to eradicate beach vitex.

Irby said he’s read all the horror stories about the plant, but said it has done more to stabilize dunes on his property than indigenous plants. Irby planted vitex after Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Irby said he didn’t have scientific evidence to prove his claim that beach vitex stabilizes dunes. Nevertheless, he said the scientific community didn’t have evidence to refute it either.

“All I can tell you is what I’ve witnessed over the past 15 years of watching my dunes grow,” he told council members. “We’ve had nor’easters that have killed sea oats and sea grass that didn’t harm beach vitex.”

Georgetown County Council this week gave the first of three readings to vitex restrictions, but it was approved by title only.

Documents

Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force Archived … Beach Vitex Task Force Archived Announcements 2 August 1 Charleston’s Post & Courier featured an article on beach vitex, Folly Outlaws