"Brought to the United States as an ornamental porch decoration, the kudzu vine has reshaped itself into ladder fuel for wildfires."
"Nearly every Monday morning, five restorationists with Conserving Carolina guide volunteers through the steep hills of Norman Wilder Forest in Tryon, North Carolina. Armed with chainsaws, thick gloves and a pickaxe-like mattock, the group goes hunting for a wily prey: kudzu.
The forest’s most prominent features have been overtaken by the invasive vine. The “Kudzu Warriors” cut down what they find and pull up root crowns to try to prevent regrowth.
Reclaiming the landscape is only one of the kudzu volunteers’ motives. There’s an urgency to this work for another reason: the plant’s extreme wildfire risk."
Jaylan Sims reports for Inside Climate News February 16, 2026.
