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Unwelcome invaders on Appalachian Trail

Groups to rid Trail of invasive plants as part of “Weed It Now” initiative

SHEFFIELD, MA — September 16, 2008 — The Appalachian Trail is a haven for thousands of hikers annually. However, the Trail is also home to other – unwelcome – guests: invasive plants. 

To rid the Trail of these harmful species, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, Connecticut AT Committee of the Appalachian Mountain Club and Appalachian Trail Conservancy announced today that they have joined together in a removal effort near the Connecticut and Massachusetts border. The work is part of a five-year conservation initiative, called Weed it Now (WIN), to remove non-native, invasive plants from over 9,000 acres of the Berkshire Taconic forest plateau.

Through the support of Congressman John W. Olver (D-MA), WIN has received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services. The Nature Conservancy drafts a scope of work and negotiates management agreements for invasive species control with willing public and private landowners across the Berkshire Taconic forest.  To date, the Conservancy has worked with 75 landowners and treated invasive species on 7,000 acres of land. This is the first time treatment will occur on federal land used for the Appalachian Trail.

"Invasive species pose a major threat to the Appalachian Trail lands and forests," said Adam Brown, New England Regional Conservation Resources Manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. "We are pleased to be partnering with The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service on this important project to remove invasive species in the forests around the trail."

"The 'Weed It Now' restoration program is vital to the preservation the Appalachian Trail near the Massachusetts and Connecticut border," said Betsy Lyman of the National Park Service. "This project will help in protecting this ecologically rich landscape from further environmental degradation, ensuring its survival for future generations."

"We are deeply gratified by the strong support given to invasive species control by the National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy" said Jason Miner, Geoffrey Hughes Director of The Nature Conservancy's Western Massachusetts Program.

Non-native, invasive species are recognized as extremely costly to both native flora and fauna, and to private and municipal pocketbooks. According to Harvard Professor Edward O. Wilson, next to the actual destruction of habitat, invasive species are the second greatest threat to rare species. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the annual cost of invasive species to the national economy is over 10 billion dollars, predominantly in lost agricultural and forest productivity. Invasive species can also significantly reduce forest regeneration.

The Nature Conservancy has identified the three-state Berkshire Taconic forest as one of the healthiest and most biologically diverse in the Lower New England Ecoregion which stretches from Maine to Virginia. In an effort to protect the forests and wetlands from further invasions, the Conservancy has been implementing a comprehensive invasive plant removal strategy throughout the region for many years, in partnership with many other organizations, businesses and individuals. 

One of the largest-scale removal efforts attempted in the Northeast, the WIN initiative has targeted invasive species threats to the forests of the region, including Japanese barberry and garlic mustard. Like many other invasive plants, both these species crowd out native plants and, if left uncontrolled, permanently alter the structure and composition of healthy forest, significantly impacting populations of both common and rare native species.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.