Climate Change Causing Increased Growth of Poison Ivy!
January 19, 2008 by Ali
Filed under Green Living
As if we needed we haven’t got enough to handle… apparently increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing more poison ivy vines to grow.
This hits home for Savannah residents especially as the study that brought us this itchy news was done along a Savannah River site in Georgia.
Yes, Toxicodendron radicans, our summertime nemesis also known as poison ivy was documented to be increasing 10-fold in recent years, according to a study by Bruce Allen, a post doctoral researcher at the University of Georgia’s Department of Biology.
Vines dig carbon dioxide. It accelerates growth and increases water efficiency, according to a Savannah Morning News article. Allen told the SMN, “Over time, this pattern could change the landscape of our forests.”
Via SMN
