This photograph from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal underscores that kudzu is sometimes an urban fire hazard. Click here for the full story on this particular fire. (A later account of a different fire reports a case where kudzu is only indirectly involved.)
Coalition volunteers visited the site to see how kudzu was affected by the fire. The fire "cleaned up" the frost-killed foliage, which unfortunately reveals trash and contruction debris on this "abandoned" lot. December 2005.
However, woody vines remain, form a dense network on top of the soil, and drape over depressions and mounds. December 2005.
The demarcation between burned and unburned areas is obvious the following spring. March 2006.
Curously, we observe that soil erosion under surviving woody vines appears greater on flat ground than on inclined ground. March 2006.
Coalition flags mark the fire range boundary for monitoring kudzu grow-back during the imminent growing season. March 2006.
Before and after photographs of the same area show that kudzu growth is not noticeably retarded by the prior year's fire. March and May 2006.
Anyone considering the use of burning as a treatment for kudzu must understand how fire affects it. The USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) explains how fire affects kudzu, and how it escapes damage.