Converting Invasive Plants into Fuel

The Center for Invasive Plant Management at Montana State University and the Missouri River Watershed coalition are investigating a project that will convert invasive plants into fuel. The Center at MSU was recently awarded $1 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop innovative ideas for for managing invasive plants. Invasive plants cause ecological and economic problems, choke river systems, reduce water quality and quantity, restrict irrigation access and degrade wildlife habitat. The Missouri River is 2,540 miles long and drains around one-sixth of North America. In the Western United States, over one million acres are infested with Russian olive and salcedar alone. These two species could supply biomass far into the future. Click here to read more.