By Alabama Public Radio
Linden, AL – Officials in Marengo County appear to be moving ahead with a plan to establish a network of bamboo farms in the area. The plan calls for using 30-thousand acres a plant called called Arundo Donax ... or Giant Reed. The reed can be harvested every six months and processed into a cellulose pulp that has a variety of industrial uses, including clothing and housing materials. But James Miller with the US Forest Service and the Alabama Invasive Pest Plant Council says the plant could create havoc if it gets loose in Alabama's vast system of waterways. The Linden Industrial Board and the Marengo County Commission are expected to release an update on the plan's progress sometime next week. The commission meets this Tuesday morning at 9.