The Voracious Vine That ‘Ate the South’ Can Also Fuel Wildfires

Inside Climate News · By Jaylan Sims · last updated February 16, 2026 – 12:03 AM

Brought to the United States as an ornamental porch decoration, the kudzu vine has reshaped itself into ladder fuel for wildfires.

By Jaylan Sims

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.

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