Forests Out of Balance: The Impact of Invasive Plant Species Invasive Exotic Plants in our Forests Current and Future Invasive Exotic Plants in our Forests Current and Future Don Dagnan Invasive Plant Coordinator USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry Don Dagnan Invasive Plant Coordinator USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry The invasive plant species problem has evolved into the limelight of Forest Health Program issues and is currently one of the Chief’s Four Threats.

Invasive plants devastate and diminish the productivity and enjoyment of natural resources… Forests Watersheds Natural Areas Invasive plant species impact many forest resources and forest native communities. Invasive species are species that are non-native or alien to the ecosystem under consideration. Whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Economic losses are ….. Ignoring invasive species won’t help. Early detection and rapid response are key in battling invasive species. Biodiversity

Top 20 invasive plant species in the northeastern area… In 2004 the Northeastern Area, Northeastern Research, and Region 9 developed a list of our top problem species and prioritized the list for 20 northeast states.

Northeastern invasive plant species 1. Acer platanoides – Norway maple 2. Ailanthus altissima – Tree of heaven 3. Alliaria petiolata – Garlic mustard 4. Berberis Thunbergii – Japanese barberry 5. Celastrus orbiculatus – Oriental bittersweet 6. Fallopia japonica – Japanese knotweed 7. Lonicera japonica – Japanese honeysuckle 8. Lonicera maackii – Amur honeysuckle 9. Microstegium vimineum – Japanese stiltgrass 10. Pueria montana – Kudzu These species in order of priority are;

Northeastern invasive plant species 11. Rosa multiflora – Multiflora rose 12. Elaeagnus umbellata – Autumn olive and Russian olive 13. Rhamnus cathartica – Buckthorn 14. Polygonum perfoliatum – Mile-a-minute weed 15. Heracleum mantegazzianum – Giant hogweed 16. Ampelopsis brevipedunculata – Porcelein berry 17. Euonymus alatus – Winged euonymus 18. Ligustrum obtusifolium- Border privet 19. Dipsacus sylvestris – Common teasel 20. Hesperis matronalis – Dame’s rocket And.

Survey of 20 NE states In 2005 20 Northeastern State Survey Included: Department of Natural Resources, state botanists, foresters, biologists, invasive species coordinators, etc. Supplied top 3 invasive plant threats Analysis of this information revealed top 5 invasive plants ------------------------------- In 2005 a survey of states revealed the following

Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata Garlic mustard poses a severe threat to native plants and animals in forest communities in much of the eastern and mid-western U.S. Garlic mustard was identified by 8 states as a top problem plant taking first place in the survey. This species is an aggressive invader.

Amur honeysuckle Lonicera maacki Illinois Bush honeysuckle Lonicera supp. Indiana, Ohio Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica Missouri Honeysuckle Lonicera New Hampshire Honeysuckle Exotic bush honeysuckles can rapidly invade and overtake a site, forming a dense shrub layer that crowds and shades out native plant species. Number 2 on the survey chart was Honeysuckle. Several varieties were mentioned in the survey. All were complied together in the survey.

Buckthorn Buckthorn Fragula P. Mill Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin Buckthorn Rhamnus carthartica Minnesota Glossy Buckthorn Rhamnus fragula R. carthartica Ohio, Massachusetts Buckthorn Rhamnus fragula L Vermont Exotic buckthorns tend to form dense, even-aged thickets, crowding and shading out native shrubs and herbs, often completely eradicating them. Dense buckthorn seedlings prevent native tree and shrub regeneration Buckthorn at number 3 has many states up in arms trying to control it. Buckthorn busters is just one group. I t is hard to find a forester that does not see the plant as a big problem.

Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria L. The highly invasive nature of purple loosestrife allows it to form dense, homogeneous stands that restrict native wetland plant species, including some federally endangered orchids, and reduce habitat for waterfowl.  Number 4 is still spreading in many states. Bio control is showing good results.

Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii DC. Japanese barberry can be found invading oak woodlands and oak savannas. It is found along woodland’s edge, roadsides, fences, old fields, and open woods. Last but not least species of concern is Japanese barbery

Morgantown field office states DELAWARE Johnson grass Canada thistle Bur cucumber OHIO Bush honeysuckle Garlic mustard Glossy buckthorn MARYLAND 1. Tree-of-Heaven 2. Japanese stiltgrass 3. Mile-a-Minute PENNSYLVANIA 1. Kudzu 2. Giant hog weed 3. Goats-rue This slide shows a comparison of the mid Atlantic states. NEW JERSEY Japanese stilt grass Japanese barberry Garlic mustard WEST VIRGINIA 1. Multiflora rose 2. Tree of heaven 3. Kudzu

Future invasive plant species to watch out for…… to watch out for…… The Northeastern Area has a major role in protecting forest lands from invasive exotic plants, insects, and diseases that compromise forest health and sustainability. There are thousands of invasive species in the US. Our top 20 is just the a minor sampling. If you think there are no new weeds?

Skunk vine Paederia foetida L. woody perennial climbing vine potential to invade a large variety of disturbed and natural habitats infestations can cover to restrict light, strangle, and kill ground cover, shrubs and trees located in the southeastern United States with potential to spread to northeastern states Skunk Vine: This woody vine from Asia actually does smell more-or-less like a skunk. It invades disturbed and undisturbed native plant communities including sandhill, rockland hammock, upland mixed forests, swamps and floodplains. Herbicides help control this species, however, it is avoid killing the host plant and understory natives in the process. Bio control agents offer some hope.

Arrow Bamboo Pseudosasa japonica (Sieb. & Zucc. ex Steud Arrow Bamboo Pseudosasa japonica (Sieb. & Zucc. ex Steud.) Makino ex Nakai Common Names: Arrow bamboo, hardy bamboo, slash bamboo, and metake evergreen perennial shrub or subshrub spreads quickly and reproduce with underground rhizomes aggressively invade parklands or woodlands adjacent to planted groves

Bradford Pear Pyrus calleryana rapidly growing deciduous tree from China 30 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide planted as an ornamental for it’s showy white flowers in the spring and red to orange leaves in fall aggressively invades natural and disturbed open areas, displaces native plant communities and disrupts natural succession

English Ivy Hedera helix L. evergreen climbing vine attaches to bark of trees, brickwork, and other surfaces by way of numerous, small root like structures vines surround tree host, blocking sunlight and causing death aggressive invader that threatens all vegetation levels of forested and open areas, growing along the ground as well as into the forest canopy

Chinaberry Tree Melia azedarach L. Deciduous tree growing to a height of 50 feet and diameter of 2 feet forms colonies from root sprouts or sprouts from root collars, and spreads by abundant seeds that are dispersed by birds Dense thickets overtake native habitats, disturbing biodiversity

Cogongrass Imperata cylindrica (L.) Palisot a perennial, rhizomatous grass that grows approximately 4 feet in height tolerant of shade, high salinity, moisture and drought grows in coastland, disturbed areas, natural forest, planted forests, range/grasslands, riparian zones, scrub/shrub lands, urban areas, and wetlands.  reported in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, and is on the noxious weed lists for Minnesota and Vermont. This species started in the south but has been moving north. What happened to the pine plantation on the left. one of the 10 worst weeds worldwide

Be Proactive! Land management Plant natives species Include invasive plant management in Forest Plans Become educated on invasive plant species in your area Conduct annual surveys to detect new species Eliminate new weeds before spreading Use noxious weed free mulch and forage “Weed of the Week”…. _ Fact sheets on invasive plants provide weekly awareness _http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/ Partnerships Develop Local/State/Regional invasive partnerships Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA) are local organizations that integrate all noxious weed (and invasive plant) management resources across jurisdictional boundaries in order to benefit entire communities. www.idahoag.us/Categories/PlantsInsects/NoxiousWeeds/Documents/cwma/cookbook.pdf All these will help foresters manage the threat of these invaders. “Weed of the Week” can help everyone become familiar with new invasive plants. Just because they are not in your forest today does not mean they can not be there next month. The Chief said “kill em all” Just get er done.

THE END We can win this battle if we all work together.