US Agencies Planted Bicolor Lespedeza in 1930s for Erosion and Wildlife

Photo: HT World

In the 1930s, US agencies widely planted bicolor lespedeza, a tough shrub, to control erosion and support wildlife habitat. Millions of seedlings were grown and distributed, with over 50 million by 1950. Virginia alone planted nearly 7 million plants and 17,000 pounds of seed between 1948 and 1953 to benefit the northern bobwhite game bird. The effort covered an estimated 115,550 forest acres.

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