ArborCut - Invasive Plant Info

Invasive plants affect everyone. Though it is tempting to think of these plants as a problem only for
those who work directly with land (such as farmers and ranchers), the U.S. Geological Survey reports
that some $20 billion in damages can be linked to invasive plant life (see footnote). Considering that
enormous sum of money, it is therefore evident that invasive plants also affect citizens of cities,
suburbs, and rural America.

And when left uncontrolled, the spreading invasive problem produces many direct and secondary
negative effects, including:

* Crowding out desirable, native species
* Creating plant monocultures
* Reducing cropland productivity
* Degrading wildlife habitat
* Reducing property values
* Causing soil erosion
* Harming local economies
* Crowding out forage for game species and grazing livestock
* Damaging water resources including fish spawning habitat
* Negatively impacting endangered species
* Increasing livestock production costs
* Interfering with recreational activities in parks, forests and other public lands
* Decreasing tourism to national parks and monuments
* Posing reliability threats to utility power lines
* Increasing the need for road maintenance
* Obscuring vision at intersections
* Contributing to wildfires

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, when invasives enter new ecosystems, "they can grow, adapt, proliferate and spread...
indefinitely, causing ever increasing economic and environmental damage" (see footnote). We often throw around several terms when
describing invasive plants. Staff of The Nature Conservancy's Wildland Invasive Species Team suggests the following definitions (see
footnote):

Non-native - Species that were directly or indirectly introduced to a given region by humans, were not present in the region before and
would not have spread into the area without human interference. Synonyms include exotic, alien and non-indigenous.

Invasive - Species that spread into areas where they are not native. This includes non-native species that escape or otherwise grow outside
cultivation. Not all non-native plants are invasive.

Noxious - Species or groups of species that have been legally designated by county, state or federal agencies as pests.

The table below lists invasive plants on one side and native alternatives on the other side. You can consult this list as you plant on your
property to ensure that you are contributing to a healthy biodiversity for our urban forest.

Footnote:

1. U.S. Geological Survey. "Invasive Plant Species: Understanding the Problem" http://cindi.usgs.gov/invasives.html
2. Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds. Invasive Plants: Changing the Landscape of America. Washington, D.C., 1998. P. 11.
3. Randall, John. The Nature Conservancya^ˆ™s Wildland Invasive Species Team. "Understanding the Impacts of Invasive Plants in Natural Areas" presentation. May 2003.
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/products/show01.html