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Summer 2011

research study

Raising awareness at Rutgers Gardens of the impact on native habitats

Bamboo is a plant native to China that was brought to the United States due to its unique and exotic look. Many use bamboo in a decorative and ornamental fashion, often planting it in their own yards. However, the aesthetic appeal of bamboo masks the fact that the plant is indeed an invasive species in our country, and as with any invasive species, brings consequences that must be dealt with. Once established in the environment, bamboo has ecological impacts that can easily result in overgrowth that is difficult to control, pushing native plants out of their natural environment. People who plant bamboo are often unaware of the methods used to control its spread, such as the installment of physical barriers to stop the spread of the bamboo's rhizomes and tedious cutting of the stalks year after year. In order to address the issue of raising awareness of the invasiveness of the species, our service project focused on addressing the issue in a local bamboo forest found on the public land known as "Rutgers Gardens". Rutgers Gardens contained a bamboo forest that was allowed to grow to an immense size. When people see the forest themselves, they are often motivated to bring bamboo back to their own yards and plant it without knowing how difficult it is to control. In order to raise awareness, we proposed the installment of a warning sign educating people to the effect of growing bamboo in the United States on native species of plants and the surrounding environment.

http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore00000002167.Manuscript.000066164

doi:10.7282/T3SQ8Z6S

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