BEWARE: There May Be Invasive Plants in Your Backyard

The Nature Conservancy Urges Gardeners to Use the Arrival of Spring to

Help Stop the Spread of America’s Worst Weeds

BOSTON, Mass — With the arrival of spring, The Nature Conservancy is asking gardeners across Massachusetts to check their yards and gardens for plants that can escape cultivation and cause tremendous damage to the natural environment and the national economy.

Plants such as purple loosestrife, kudzu, giant salvinia, multiflora rose and tree of heaven have been used widely in horticulture and landscaping, and can be found in backyards and business lots across the country. At first glance these plants may look pretty, but their beauty is deceptive.

Known as invasive species, plants like these are typically transplants from distant places. Once free from the natural checks and balances in their native habitats, these alien invaders establish themselves in new areas and quickly spread out of control. They hoard light, water and nutrients, and can alter entire ecosystems by changing soil chemistry.

With intentional and unintentional assistance from people, these problematic plants are spreading at an alarming rate, infecting natural areas across the United States.

“Keeping invasive plants out of America’s backyards helps the environment and the economy,” said Steve McCormick, president of The Nature Conservancy. “Taking the time to remove invasive plants and replace them with non-invasive varieties is a great example of bringing new energy to the old adage: think globally, act locally.”

Because many invasive plants are spread by unsuspecting gardeners, The Nature Conservancy has created a wallet insert that gardeners can carry with them when shopping at their local nurseries. The insert lists the worst invasive plants for each region of the country. If you see one of these plants at your local nursery, consider buying another plant instead and talk to the nursery owner about stocking non invasive varieties. The wallet insert can be downloaded from the Conservancy’s website: http://nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies

Businesses as well as consumers can play a role. The Conservancy works with nursery and horticulture groups to encourage the adoption of Voluntary Codes of Conduct, which aim to stop the spread of invasive plants.

What The Nature Conservancy Is Doing

The Nature Conservancy is working across the country to control invasives and prevent them from destroying natural ecosystems.

One of the Conservancy’s largest projects is a fight against the invasive Japanese barberry shrub which is threatening native forest areas in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Through its "Weed It Now" (WIN) program, the Conservancy will treat 10,000 acres of land in the three states to reduce the shrubs’ coverage to just 5 percent of the area. Japanese barberry, which at high densities can prevent native trees from growing, currently covers up to 80 percent of the targeted areas. Now in its fourth year, WIN has won federal funding and strong bipartisan support in Congress, and is on track to meet its ambitious objective this year.

On Cape Cod, the Conservancy is working to remove the non-native plant Phragmites from the dunes and swales of Sandy Neck in Barnstable. The tall, reed-like plant first appeared on Sandy Neck in the 1950s. However, populations greatly increased after Hurricane Bob and the “Perfect Storm” in 1991, which likely moved seeds and plant fragments along trails and other low areas. The spread of Phragmites forces plants native to Sandy Neck, such as cranberry and bayberry, to compete for nutrients and sunlight.

On the national and state level, The Conservancy is working with nursery and horticulture groups to identify invasive plants that might voluntarily be removed from the market.

“Nursery growers, landscape designers and others who make their career in horticulture have become increasingly concerned with the problems related to invasive plants,” said Wayne Mezitt, past president of the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA), and owner of Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts. “We see our role as educators, helping our customers and the public, as well as fellow nursery folk across the country, understand how invasive plants impact them.”

The threat posed by invasive species – both plant and animal – to the survival of native species is exceeded only by the threat of habitat loss. The cost to the national economy is estimated as high as $137 billion per year, due primarily to losses in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, as well as the cost of clearing invasive-clogged waterways and fighting invasive-fueled fires.

What You Can Do

You can help stop the introduction and spread of invasive species. Help protect native plants and animals by following these six easy guidelines:

1. Verify that the plants you are buying for your yard or garden are not invasive. Replace invasive plants in your garden with non-invasive alternatives. Ask your local nursery staff for help in identifying invasive plants. You may also visit the New England Wildflower Society’s website (www.newfs.org), which provides information on native plants as well as a listing of landscape designers who specialize in native plants.

2. When boating, clean your boat thoroughly before transporting it to a different body of water.

3. Clean your boots before you hike in a new area to get rid of hitchhiking weed seeds and pathogens.

4. Don't "pack a pest" when traveling. Fruits and vegetables, plants, insects and animals can carry pests or become invasive themselves.

5. Don't release aquarium fish and plants, live bait or other exotic animals into the wild.

6. Volunteer at your local park, refuge or other wildlife area to help remove invasive species. Help educate others about the threat.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.