Financial trade-offs associated with controlling Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.) in Forestlands in the Southern USA

Abstract

The most common invasive shrub species in the southern United States, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.), was initially planted as ornamental, but escaped from cultivation. Control measures were collected from the literature, and financial analysis was used to identify the most cost-effective management regimes to control this species under different conditions. Six factors reflecting real conditions from the southern United States were used to simulate scenarios to assess the management regimes: infestation level, field coverage, stand density, herbicide application, herbicide, and privet removal method. Financial impacts reflected by land expectation value (LEV) were analyzed for each simulated condition. With few exceptions, aerial applications with Arsenal AC® on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests and Razor Pro® on hardwoods were most cost-effective, indicating that Chinese privet control is economically feasible. This study can help decisionmakers in selecting effective control measures and serve as a model for future research.