Tag Archives: Invasives

Resources: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

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As defined in U.S. Executive Order 13112 (Feb 3, 1999), an “invasive species” is:
1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and
2) likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Many, perhaps most (but not all) invasive plants were first introduced by gardeners as ornamental plants. For example, Ailanthus altissima, the Tree of Heaven, was cultivated as a shade tree. This is the “tree that grew in Brooklyn,” and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden even uses its image in its merchandise such as t-shirts and tote bags.

Not every plant which can become invasive is a risk in all areas. It helps to understand the ecological region and regime in which you garden and the threats to nearby natural areas. For example, the map of the Plant Provinces of North America in the BBG book Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants places New York City and Long Island in the province of Eastern Deciduous Forests rather than Coastal Plain Forests. Yet Long Island was built from millenia of glacial deposits; the area south of the southern terminal moraine – including most of Brooklyn – has more in common with coastal outwash plains than upland forests. Similarly, Brooklyn’s proximity to the ocean and the Gulf Stream moderates our temperatures compared to, say, the Bronx, the only borough on the mainland; our climate is a blend of Mid-Atlantic and New England as gardening goes.

Some states have taken the lead in making it illegal to sell, purchase, propagate or plant those species known to be invasive. Some gardeners, and nurseries, label such strategies “eco-fascism” and worse. I would support such legislation in New York, which has not yet joined the ranks of these states.

However, legislation should not be the sole strategy. Education must be a primary strategy. As gardeners, we can learn about the natural areas around us and the threats to them. We can avoid purchasing, propagating, planting or recommending plants known to be invasive. We can learn about alternative non-invasive or native choices for plants in our gardens. And we can educate others about these issues and possible solutions.

Mid-Atlantic

Kick the Invasive Exotic Gardening Habit with Great Native Plant Alternatives
National Arboretum

New England

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
University of Massachusetts at Boston
via Invasive Species Weblog

General

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (Excerpts from book)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Links

The Liberty Elm Project

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Update 2007.05.29: Cornell University does not recommend Liberty Elm because:

‘Liberty’ is highly susceptibility to elm yellows and is not recommended due to variability of resistance to Dutch elm disease.
– American Elm Cultivars (PDF), Recommended Urban Trees, Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute

Their top choices for American Elm Cultivars are “Valley Forge” and “New Harmony”, both of which they rate “resistant” to Elm Yellows and Elm leaf beetle, in addition to resistance to DED.

At last night’s 2nd Annual Brooklyn Blogfest, one of the highlights for me was getting interviewed by Dope on the Slope. He had some great gardening questions for me, and I hope I did them justice.

One thing I got wrong, though, was in response to his question about the American Elm, Ulmus americana. He mentioned that Home Despot is selling American Elms resistant to Dutch Elm Disease (DED). I responded that, although there are hybrids which are resistant, they’re not fully American Elms.

I Was Wrong

The Liberty elm is not a hybrid. ERI’s [Elm Research Institute] American Liberty elm is actually a group of six genetically different cultivars. All six look like classic, old fashioned American elms. …
– About the American Liberty Elm

DED is caused by at least three fungi strains: Ophiostoma (Ceratocystis) ulmi, O. himal-ulmi, and O. novo-ulmi. At least two species of bark beetles – the native elm bark beetle, Hylurgopinus rufipes, and the European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus – serve as vectors for infection. American Elms, which used to be premier street trees across the country, were devastated by the disease since it reached U.S. shores on imported lumber in 1928. European Elms have been similarly affected.

The Liberty Elm, or American Liberty Elm, is the outcome of a decades-long research and breeding program to develop a strain of American Elm, developed only from American Elms, reliably resistant to DED. These are not inter-specific hybrids. They have been developed from survivors collected and propagated from across the country. The resulting plants are propagated vegetatively for distribution.

Genetic differences provide diversity. Having six cultivars in the series is insurance against all the elms being wiped out by any disease or problem, even one that might show up in the future. ERI mixes all six cultivars in its shipments.

During the research phase for all these new elms, they were challenged with injections of the Dutch Elm Disease (DED) fungus in controlled tests. But the American Liberty elm is now long past the experiment stages, and at this point it has been through the additional test of growing in public locations around the country for over 18 years, where it has been exposed naturally to DED fungus where it may occur in those environments.

There is no known American elm variety that can be called entirely immune to DED. The American Liberty elm is resistant to DED, and its resistance has a strong record. In the 18 years since the tree’s introduction, ERI has confirmed less than 100 cases of DED among the 250,000 elms it has sent out.

– About the American Liberty Elm

Cornell University notes other DED-resistant cultivars available, including ‘Princeton’, ‘Independence’, ‘Valley Forge’, ‘New Harmony’ and ‘Jefferson’. They also note all of these elms are susceptible to Elm Yellows and should not be used where that disease occurs.

Any of you gardeners out there have any knowledge about these trees? Do you know of any growing in your area?

The Other Shoe Has Dropped: ALB Found on Staten Island

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Just two weeks ago, USDA APHIS reported that Anoplophora glabripennis, Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB for short) was found on Prall’s Island, an uninhabited island in the strait between New Jersey and Staten Island, about a mile south of the Goethals Bridge. Yesterday the Parks Department announced that ALB was found on Staten Island six days ago:

The New York City Department of New York Parks & Recreation, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYS DAM), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Asian Longhorned beetle (ALB), an insect classified by the USDA as an invasive species and an imminent threat to the United States and New York City’s forest ecosystem, has spread to Staten Island. An infested silver maple tree, located on a private wood lot in Bloomfield, is the first evidence of the beetle found on mainland Staten Island, and was detected on March 22, 2007 by USDA tree climbers. Surveys intensified on Staten Island since the detection of infested trees on nearby Prall’s Island. To date, only one infested tree has been detected on the mainland and survey crews will continue to inspect ALB host trees to determine if any additional trees are infested. Due south, on the 88-acre, uninhabited Prall’s Island which is owned and operated by Parks & Recreation as a bird sanctuary, 37 ALB-infested red maple and gray birch trees have been discovered since March 1, 2007. Not all trees on Prall’s Island have been surveyed.

The ALB-infested tree in Bloomfield sports light damage in the form of ten egg sites in its canopy. When inspected by USDA climbers in May 2006 just prior to flight season, the tree was not infested, leading experts to believe that the tree has been infested for less than a year. USDA surveyors inspected the wood lot following the confirmation of significant infestation on nearby Prall’s Island, which is located in close proximity to ALB-infested areas in New Jersey. Parks continues to work with partner agencies on the federal and state levels to monitor both infested areas of Staten Island for further signs of the beetle, develop strategies to remove infested and potential host trees, and dispose of removed trees in a manner with minimal ecological impacts.

This is really discouraging news.

Related Posts

GAO Report: Invasive Forest Pests, May 2006

Links

Parks’ ALB Home Page
New York DEC ALB page
USDA APHIS ALB Newsroom
University of Vermont ALB Reference

News: Border Collies to Herd Canada Geese in Central Park

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I got to watch some sheepdog trials at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival last Fall. It would be cool to watch them in action in Central Park. And there’s always Sheep Meadow in Prospect Park!

This April, the Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation will pilot a one-month program using an environmentally-safe method to attempt to reduce the number of geese in Central Park. The first step of the process includes herding- but never touching or attacking- the geese with highly-trained border collies. Skilled trainers will lead two border collies in driving the geese away from the Park’s lawns and water bodies throughout the month of April. Parks Department Rangers and Central Park Conservancy staffers will supervise training and goose management.

Large flocks of resident Canada geese leave excessive goose droppings, resulting in large areas of landscape that are unavailable for public use and recreation. In Central Park, geese continually overgraze the grass around the Harlem Meer and its surrounding landscapes, increasing erosion. The high nitrogen content in goose droppings can alter water chemistry and produce algae that rob the water of oxygen, killing fish and other wildlife.

Bred to herd sheep, collies have a natural instinct to round up flocks of geese. By patrolling various areas of the Park, the geese will be encouraged to abandon the lawns and water. In conjunction with the border collies, public education is crucial. Feeding geese only encourages them to linger in public areas. Herding dogs and education are two methods of Canada goose management that are approved by the Humane Society and the USDA Office of Wildlife Services.

To deem its effectiveness in Central Park, Geese Police Inc. will pilot a month-long, 24-hour-a- day program. At the end of the month, the Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department will determine its effectiveness in moving the geese and interacting with the public before extending the project.

Links:

Happy National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week

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It’s a day for news. I don’t know how I missed this, but February 25 through March 2 is National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week. The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation issued a press release Monday:

During National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week, the Department of Parks & Recreation reminds all New Yorkers not to plant invasive weeds, which are threats to New York City’s parks and green spaces. … Invasive species are sold in the City and are commonly added as ornamental interest to landscapes and gardens. …

… Over an extended period of time, an invasive species planted in a home garden has the ability to spread to other natural areas, degrade land, and disrupt natural habitat. Unlike native plants, invasive weeds have no natural predators in non-native natural environments, which allows their population to grow unchecked. One invasive species is the Japanese Barberry (some varieties), which is commonly planted in gardens for its pale yellow flowers and bright red berries but which pose a severe ecological threat in natural habitats by altering soil pH, nitrogen levels, and biological activity in the soil, thus reducing wildlife habitat. Another invasive weed is the Purple Loosetrife, commonly planted for it’s beautiful purple flowers but which outcompetes and replaces native grasses and flowering plants in wetlands areas, thus forming a dense, homogenous clump and reducing habitat for waterfowl.

Invasive weeds have plagued New York City’s natural environment for centuries, arriving with the first migration of Europeans to the continent and currently transported through trade and commerce. Invasive weeds that thrive in the New York City are able do so because the City’s climate is similar to that of their country of origin. Many common invasive weeds in New York City hail from Korea, Japan, and parts of China, where average temperature, amount of rainfall, and rainfall distribution is similar to that of New York City.

Gardeners should check out the Parks Department’s Do Not Plant list of species invasive in the New York City area.

Links:

News, February 26: NY helps MD fight EAB

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The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced Monday that they were responding to Maryland’s call for help from neighboring states to deal with Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis in that state. Although the the presence of EAB in Maryland was confirmed only in August of last year, it’s believed to have been introduced by an illegal shipment of infested ash trees from Michigan, a quarantine state for EAB, as far back as 2003.

New York is already dealing with Asian Long-Horned Beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis. New York is sending 11 New York horticulture inspectors and 17 foresters.

… In December 2006, the Maryland Department of Agriculture asked neighboring states for assistance in conducting an inventory of ash trees, identifying infested trees and assisting with the removal of infested trees. A contingent of 11 New York horticulture inspectors and 17 New York foresters will be working with their counterparts in Maryland to quickly isolate and remove infested trees.
…
New York’s participation will provide Maryland with experienced plant pest regulatory officials knowledgeable in tree identification, the target pest and landowner interactions. In return, New York inspectors and foresters will have the opportunity to observe an actual EAB infestation and gain valuable knowledge and experience that will enhance the surveillance and early detection of this pest in New York State.

– Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Maryland; New York State Helps in Eradication

Related Posts:

Links:

via Invasive Species Weblog

Non-Native Earthworms in New England Forests

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Contrary to popular belief, the earthworms found in the gardens and forests of New England aren’t native. Virtually all of the worms north and west of New Jersey were wiped out during the ice age that ended about 10,000 years ago.

European earthworms — or their cocoons — first hitched rides to the New World on the root balls of colonists’ plants or in dirt that was used as ballast in ships to steady them on the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

In the 1800s, much of the region’s vast forests were cut down for farmland, and worms — clinging to plants or even plows’ wheels — were introduced to more areas of New England. A patchwork of wormed and worm-free woods was created when forests later reclaimed the farmlands.

Now scientists suspect that humans are again bringing worms into New England’s remaining worm-free woods. Fishermen abandon nightcrawlers or other worm bait at fishing holes. Second homeowners are worming their property with landscape dirt and, possibly, compost piles. Hikers and campers unwittingly bring along worm cocoons, wedged in the tire treads of their cars.
– When Worms Turn, The Boston Globe, December 11, 2006, via Invasive Species Weblog

Earthworms are an example of an ecosystem engineer, an organism which modifies its environment with the effect of creating, maintaining, or destroying habitat for itself and other organisms. Gardeners and farmers collaborate, intentionally or accidentally, with many different engineering species. Earthworms are only one example. Clover and other “cover” crops, livestock, even trees are other examples.

In the gardens around the house, I’m faced with neglected, compacted, weedy and unproductive ground. To rehabilitate the gardens, I need to enlist some ecosystem engineers. I started some small patches of clover, inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. I want to expand that this year to other areas, including the hell strip between the sidewalk and the street.

Last year I also ordered earthworm cocoons and introduced them into the backyard. That was before I began reading about the damage earthworms can cause to native forests whose assemblage of species evolved without their “help.” Knowing what I know now, I would still do this in my yard. This territory has not been “natural” for hundreds of years. But there are natural areas even in New York City which deserve protection. If I lived closer to them, I would be more cautious about what I introduced into my gardens.

We are gardeners of the world. We are ecosystem engineers on a global scale. Like it or not, we are past the point where the natural world can survive, let alone recover from, our predations, intrusions, and blunderings without our help. If we engage in this work consciously, there is some hope that we can reverse some of the damage we’ve caused.

References:

Letter to the NY Times, Science section

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[Updated 2006.09.14 20:41 EDT: Added Why I Wrote the Letter. Minor corrections.]

I wrote a letter last Wednesday to the New York Times in response to an interview with ornithologist Joseph M. Forshaw, a world expert on parrots, in last week’s Science section, “A Passion for Parrots and the Fight to Save Them in the Wild”. They published an edited version of it (under my “real” name”) today. Here it is in its entirety:

Monk parrots are now established in 14 states and spreading north in New York. In their native ranges, they are sometimes serious agricultural pests of fruit crops. We will see what economic damage they cause here as their numbers expand. We don’t know how much environmental damage they’ve already caused by competing with and displacing native species.

As the ornithologist Joseph M. Forshaw noted admiringly, “Parrots are such wonderful generalists.” This is a common trait of invasive species, including other generalists that New Yorkers are all too familiar with: starlings, pigeons, rats and roaches. Our admiration of these birds should not blind us to their potential impact.

I’m proud and excited about this. This is only the second time in my life I’ve had a letter published in a newspaper. (The first was a letter I wrote to Newsday when I was 16 years old in opposition to the Shoreham nuclear power plant on Long Island. I wrote a letter to NPR several weeks ago. They were interested in it, but I don’t know if that ever aired.)

I’ll be coming back and updating this entry with the back-story about why I wrote the letter, and what I learned about writing letters!

Why I Wrote the Letter

The article, published in last Tuesday’s New York Times, was an interview with ornithologist Joseph M. Forshaw. Forshaw spoke about his experiences with parrots and humans’ relationships with them all over the world, and the dangers they face from exploitation and habitat destruction.

The photos accompanying the article showed Monk Parrots from Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery. I already knew why those photos were there. Forshaw had accompanied Steve Baldwin on one of his “Parrot Safaris”, and Baldwin had blogged about it on his blog site, Brooklyn Parrots:

I recently had the pleasure of meeting an amazing Australian naturalist … His name is Dr. Joseph Forshaw and he’s widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority on parrots. I had the honor of serving as his “guide” when he came to see the wild parrots of Brooklyn. … The New York Times wrote up a nice story on Dr. Forshaw … I am glad to say that there are some great shots of the “Brooklyn Boids!”

The problem was, the photos accompanying the article in this way associated an introduced species with the important issue of conserving parrots in the wild in their native habitats. The Times identified the parrots as “feral monk parrots.” A caption to one of the photos identified them as “nonnative New Yorkers,” but provided no further explanation.

“Feral” is incorrect to describe these populations. Neither the species nor the individuals are domestic parrots “escaped” into the wild: they are breeding and reproducing in the wild. So I wrote the letter hoping to address, and correct, a misleading absence of information about their status here.


[goo.gl]

Related posts

My other posts on Parrots and Invasive species.

Links

The letter as published

Invasive Species News, July 20, 2006, Brooklyn, NY: “Brooklyn” Parrots Taken from the Wild

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Monk Parakeet Munching on Young Apples

On his Web site, Brooklyn Parrots, Steve Baldwin reports that Brooklyn’s most charismatic potentially invasive species, Myiopsitta monachus, Monk Parakeets, have been poached from at least one, possibly two, locations:

Several residents of Marine Park [a neighborhood in southeastern Brooklyn, adjacent to JFK Airport] have approached me recently, asking what happened to their once-thriving colony of wild parrots. I have been able to verify through a source that these parrots have been stolen by thieves. According to this source, two men, one with a long pole, have been taking live parrots from the pole nests in Marine Park. They work at night, and have been seen by residents. If this is the same operation that has stolen parrots in Midwood [a neighborhood south of me], their MO is to sell the parrots to local pet stores for $25 a piece, where they have value not as pets, but as breeding pairs.

Baldwin goes on to urge people to report suspicious activity to the police, and to ConEd, the power provider for New York City, since the birds commonly nest around transformers.
He continues:

The Monk Parrots of Brooklyn enjoy no special protections under New York State Law. They are classified, along with pigeons and starlings, as birds that can be “taken” at any time, unlike protected species. They are vulnerable to poaching, and because Quakers are legal in New York, there is a ready market for captured birds.

There’s a good reason Monk Parakeets are not “protected”: they’re not native to the United States, let alone Brooklyn. They were introduced, accidentally or deliberately, a few decades ago.

This is an emotional issue. Monk Parakeets are attractive, gregarious (with each other, at least), big, loud birds commonly sold as pets. They’ve appeared in my backyard, and whenever I see them, I find myself crying out “Parrots!” But make no mistake: Monk Parakeets are a potentially, at least, invasive species. They are reproducing, and spreading, in the wild. Not just in Brooklyn, or the NYC Metropolitan Area, but in over a dozen states.

To get a taste of how emotional this is going to get, read on:

They are considered unworthy [of] protection because they are classified as “introduced.” This stigma is equivalent to “illegal alien” in the human world – “introduced” species don’t have the same rights, protections, and privileges. When bad things happens to them, society feels free to turn its back. Do the wild parrots of Brooklyn, which have been in the borough for 40 years, have a right not to be captured and sold into captivity? I think so.

Sturnus vulgaris, the European Starling mentioned earlier, was deliberately introduced to this continent by Eugene Schiefflin in the 19th century. His “acclimitization” society wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare. The epicenter for this invasion was in New York City’s Central Park. You probably know the rest. They compete with native species for nesting cavities, and have been known to displace the residents of active nests.

Before we get all teary-eyed about the plight of the parrots, we need to understand the impact they’ve already had, and what will happen as they continue to expand their range. What native species have the parrots already displaced? What species might be able to get re-established, if the parrots were not already here? What ecological niches are they occupying?

I’ve seen the parrots mobbing and driving off crows, which are twice their size, so I know they can be aggressive towards other birds. I’ve observed them eating apples from our neighbors’ tree, which reaches into our yard. Are there no native fruit-eating birds which could be supported by such bounty? I’ve never seen them here, but Orioles come to mind. I’d rather see Orioles eating the apples. But that will never happen as long as the parrots are around.

Baldwin also announced that he will be campaigining for protective legislation for the parrots. As much as I am also fond of the little darlings, I will oppose such legislation.

Links:

GAO Testimony, June 21, 2006: Invasive Forest Pests

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On April 21, 2006, Daniel Bertoni, Acting Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accounting Office (GAO), provided testimony before the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. His testimony follows two recent GAO Reports on this topic:

It’s sort of a good news (little), bad news (more), report.

First, there’s some hopeful news regarding Anoplophora glabripennis, the Asian longhorned beetle, or “ALB”:

On the basis of the available evidence, it appears that the Asian longhorned beetle will be eradicated in the three states that have infestations, although funding reductions have extended the likely completion date. …

The “three states that have infestations” are New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. However, ALB has been detected near ports of entry throughout the United States, including Florida, Texas, California and Washington states.

Not so good news on EAB and Sudden Oak Death:

… In contrast, the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum–the pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death–are likely to continue to infest and damage forest ecosystems in the Midwest and on the West Coast, despite efforts to control them. …

And some observations on how things got so bad:

… We identified areas of vulnerability that we believe increase the risk of future forest pest infestations. Specifically, we found that despite efforts to expand USDA’s forest health monitoring programs, they do not adequately provide for comprehensive monitoring in urban forests or other locations considered at high risk from pest invasions. Monitoring in such areas is important because they are common destination points for internationally traded cargo, which is a frequent pathway for pests. Improvements could help prevent situations such as those experienced with the Asian longhorned beetle, the emerald ash borer, and P. ramorum, in which years of delay in detection allowed them to become established before control programs began. In our report on port inspections, we found that DHS has not used a risk-based staffing model to assign newly hired agricultural specialists to ports of entry. As a result, DHS does not have assurance that staff are assigned to areas of greatest vulnerability. …

Resources, Links, and References:

  • Invasive Forest Pests: Recent Infestations and Continued Vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry Place U.S. Forests at Risk, GAO-06-871T, June 21, 2006. All quotes above are from the Abstract.
  • Asian Longhorned Beetle at the University of Vermont is comprehensive and accessible. Their identification page, with comparative photos of ALB and similar and easily confused species, is excellent.