Organizing to Succeed

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Organizing to Succeed Against Invasive
Plants and Strategies to Take Control and
Restore James H. Miller Southern Research
Station ALIPC Board USDA Forest Service
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Major Types of Invasive Species....
Fish
Mullocks
Forests
Invasive Plants
Aquatic Plants
Over 3,500 PLANT SPECIES HAVE BEEN
INTRODUCED THAT ARE FREE LIVING
Injurious Wildlife
Natural
50,000 Foreign Species And Counting
Areas
Rates
Exotics)
Rangelands
Birds
Reptiles
Insects and Diseases
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138 Billion per Year!!!
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Japanese Honeysuckle Chinese Privet
Callery pear Kudzu Wisterias
Silverthorn Nonnative Roses Tall
fescue Bamboos Lespedezas Autumn
Olive
TropicalSoda Apple Cogongrass Air Yam Water
Yam Japanese Climbing Fern Giant
Salvinia Alligatorweed
Cogongrass Tallowtree Glossy Privet Tungoil
tree Water Hyacinth
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FIA Survey 2000-04 Chinese Privet
Vic Rudis, USFS SRS
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Oriental bittersweet
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Cogongrass 2002
Entered U.S. at Grand Bay 1911-12
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Cogongrass is a Federally Listed Noxious Weed
Worlds Worst Plant Invader of Natural Lands
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Cogongrass
Potential Spread!!
Infested States
Eradication Programs in Place
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There are no Invasive Surveys for
other Landuse/Commodity Areas!!! (or Waterways
and Rivers and Streams?)
Recent FIA Data - Occupation of SE
Forests Japanese Honeysuckle 107 Million
Acres Chinese Privet 23 Million
Acres Tallow tree 15 Million Acres Tall
Fescue 13 Million Acres Exotic Roses
13 Million acres Tree-of-heaven 4
million acres Kudzu, Mimosa, Chinaberry 2
Million acres ea
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Spread of Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) NRCS
Website and Potential Spread of Additional
Invasive Species
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The inevitable.or not, if we choice

• What we do or not do in the next decade will
  determine the extent and severity of change
  forever to our current natural communities and
  production ecosystems being wrough by Alien
  invasive plant species
• as well as by our destruction of soils
  habitats.

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We Must Have Developments in.

• Awareness and Knowledge
• Organization
• Funding
• Resolve and Commitment

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Fragmented and Disturbed Landscapes with Mixed
Land-use, Water-use, and Right-of-ways
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Preserve Managers
NGOs like TNC
Horticulture Growers
Aquatic Managers
Forest Landowners and Associations
Farmers and Farm Associations
Agency Land Managers Staff Professionals
Restorationists
Horse Industry Equestrians
Wildlife Managers Sportsmen Assoc
Turfgrass Producers
Congressional Leaders
Cattle Producers
Policy Makers
Formal Gardens Arboretums
Cities and Municipalities
Control Services
Researchers
Herbicide and Mechanical Equipment Industries
Academicians
ROW Managers
Weed Teams
Homeowners Gardeners
Wildflower People
Plant People
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Increased Awareness and Knowledge of the Problem
and Solutions

• The Need for Enhanced
• Knowledge Networks and Connectivity

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Adaptive Collaborative Restoration
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Knowledge Networks

• Connectivity by
• Categories of individuals
• Among federal and State Agencies and NGOs
• Early Detection and Response Network
• Access to laws, policies, and strategic plans
  environmental assessments and EISs

• Up-to-date Information on
• Invasive Species by
• Categories of threat by
• Commodity group and
• Landuse/water-use
• Detailed Identification Guides
• Real-time Occupation
• and Spread Predictions
• Cost-benefit/Risk Analyses
• Control strategies, treatments
• and restoration procedures
• Service Providers and Native Plants Sources and
  Networks
• Pathway Preventions
• Ecological information

Recognizing We Will Always Be Operating with
Incomplete Information, if we are to react in a
timely and effective manner
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The SE and State EPPC Websites Must
Contribute se-eppc.org
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Understanding is Growing Daily with Many
Publications
Frontiers in Ecology and Environment Issues
in Ecology - ESA Weed Technology and
Weed Science WSSA The IPINAMS Conf.
Proc. Natural Areas Journal - NAA National
Geographic Discovery All Management
Trade Magazines
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LISTS Needed with Assessments for the Region and
Each State

• Invasive Plants by Categories with Strategies
• Invasive Plants produced and sold in the Trade
• Recommended Replacement Species
• Landscaping, gardens, and trees
• Cutbank stabilization plantings
• Special Habitats needing Protection by Categories
  of Priority

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TN EPPC Listing Categories

• Rank 1 "Severe Threat" Exotic plant species that
  possess characteristics of invasive species and
  spread easily into native plant communities and
  displace native vegetation includes species that
  are or could become widespread in Tennessee.
• Rank 2 "Significant Threat" Exotic plant species
  that possess characteristics of invasive species
  but are not presently considered to spread as
  easily into native plant communities as those
  species listed as Rank 1.
• Rank 3 "Lesser Threat" Exotic plant species that
  spread in or near disturbed areas and are not
  presently considered a threat to native plant
  communities.
• Watch List A -- Exotic plants that naturalize and
  may become a problem in the future.  At this time
  more information is needed, and there is no
  consensus about their status.
• Watch List B -- Exotic plant species that are
  severe problems in surrounding states but have
  not been reported in Tennessee

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Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM)
Which includes Prevention
Prescribed Burning
Herbicides
Mechanical
Manual and Motor-Manual
Biological Control
The Potential for Biological Control? This is a
big hope!
Kudzu sawflies
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Documenting Occurrence, Treatment, and Progress

• Search and Surveillance
• Survey sample large area
• Inventory- record each infestation
• Monitor after Treatment and Document Control-
  Repeated Inventory

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Species Strategies
Contain by Inventory and Eradication
Prevention Search Early Alerts
Outliers
Surveillance Inventory Monitor
Contain by Inventory and Eradication
Advancing Front
Inventory Monitor
Severely Infested or Occupied Zones Manage and
Control
Survey Monitor
Special Habitat
Protect Eradication
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Organizing to Succeed

• National
• Regional
• State Alliances
• State
• Cooperative Weed Management Areas

Your State is where programs come together
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I n v a s i v e U p l a n d P l a n t
Management Strategies
Think Statewide but act and empower at the local
level Floridas Regional Work Group Concept
(over 500 state, federal, and local government
participants in FLA)
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Regional Agencies and NGOs
Southern Regional Center for Invasive Plants and
SE EPPC
State
Multi County Cooperative Weed Management Area?
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Organizing A State
State Invasive Executive Council State Land and
Environment Agency Heads and NGOs
State EPPC Committees
Invasive Technical Steering Committee Staff
Representatives of State Land and Environment
Agency Heads and NGOs
Invasive Advisory Committee Concerned Landowners
Managers, Researchers, and Extension
Program
Program
Program
Program
Program
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Early Detection and Rapid Response
Regional Coordinator
Photos Here
State or Agency Invasive Coordinator 1.
Verify 2. Assessment 3. Response
Response, Control, and Monitor
Contacts for Early Verification
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Local Partnerships and Weed Teamswill continue
to grow and Be the Backbone
North Carolina Giant Salvinia Task Force
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Funding Funding Funding

• Presentations by Bean, Waitt and Taylor
• Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act 2004
• If appropriated, 3 million/yr for 5 yr.
• Farm Bill Programs
• NRCS Environmental Quality Improvement
  Program
• FWS Wildlife Improvement Program
• Additional Funds for invasive plants will only
  come when we and our citizens demand them.

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The Faces of Resolve and Commitment
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If you stand with these people?

• STAND UP NOW

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Together We Can

• Halt the Flood
• Stem the Tide
• Combat the invasion
• Counter the Bioterrorism in our Country
• Stand Firm and Make a Difference
• Give Back a Sustainable Future.