Southern US: Top five invasive species threatening forests
“Cogongrass, tallowtree, and Japanese climbing fern are among the
fastest moving and most destructive nonnative plant species facing
many southern landowners this year,” said Miller.
“Rounding out the
top five invasive species that I’m very concerned about would be
tree-of-heaven and nonnative privets. While our forests are besieged
by numerous invasive plants, these and other nonnative species present
serious financial and ecological threats to the South and its forests
in 2009.”
Nonnative species often out-compete native forest plants and
may degrade forest productivity, wildlife habitat, recreational
values, and water quality. Invasive species also greatly increase
expenses as public and private land managers work to combat their
spread and deal with their effects (such as increased wildfire risk
and severity).
Nonnative plants can be introduced and spread by
wildlife or through other natural means. Humans also spread invasive
species by planting them in their gardens and yards and by seeds
hitchhiking on their clothes. Additionally, tractors and mowers used
in multiple locations without being cleaned often spread nonnative
plants. In an effort to inform forest managers, landowners, and others
about where the most threatening invasive plants are in the South and
to help them prepare for these threats, Miller collaborated with SRS
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) scientists to develop maps showing
the spread, county-by-county, across the Southeast of more than 30 of
the most serious nonnative plant species.
The invasive plant data were
collected on FIA plots throughout the southern United States in
cooperation with State forestry agencies. In partnership with the
University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species Science and
Ecosystem Health, SRS researchers recently posted the maps and
occupation levels online.
Maps posted at
http://www.invasive.org/fiamaps/acres.cfm show the number of acres in
a county covered by each nonnative species. Maps posted online
at http://www.invasive.org/fiamaps/percent.cfm show the percent of
subplots analyzed in a county that have each invasive species. A
spreadsheet found at http://www.invasive.org/fiamaps/summary.pdf shows
the total acreage of 33 invasive plant species in 12 Southeastern
States (data for eastern Oklahoma is missing as SRS FIA just completed
this part of the State’s inventory this month). Users can access the
maps and spreadsheet via http://www.invasive.org/fiamaps/. Current
plans are for researchers to update the information annually.
http://yubanet.com/enviro/Scientist-names-top-5-invasive-plants-threatening-Southern-forests-in-2009.php
– Posted to http://forestpolicyresearch.org via gmail to posterous and
also to forestpolicyresearch@yahoogroups.com
