National Invasive Species Awareness Week – Day 5

A Comparison of State Noxious Weed Lists and an Overview of the Western Weed Action Plan

Register Here

Presentation 1 – U.S. State Noxious Weed Lists are Reactive, Not Coordinated, and Incongruous With Biology presented by Dr. Jacob Barney, Virginia Tech

Noxious weed lists are policy tools used to prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of weedy and invasive species. These lists provide regulatory authority over the movement, sale, and control of listed species, which vary across states. Despite their importance, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of these lists across the US. Thus, we collated and reviewed all regulated weedy and invasive plants across all 50 states. In total, 46 states maintain regulatory weed lists that include 3210 total listings of 1249 unique species; 48% of them are introduced, 40% are native, and 12% are not yet found in the United States. Despite the seemingly large number of regulated species, the lists do not well represent the regional weed flora, appear largely reactive (i.e., listing after a species is already present in the state), and present a range of confusing challenges, including the large number of native and crop species. I will discuss our findings and present recommendations on improved coordination and implementation.

Presentation 2 – The Western Weed Action Plan presented by Slade Franklin, Wyoming State Weed Coordinator

The Western Weed Action Plan represents a 4 year collaborative effort between state and federal agencies to identify and lay out a the programmatic needs and a strategic plan for the protection of the Sagebrush Biome from invasive weeds. In addition to discussing the detailed components of the plan, Slade Franklin will review the process used to develop it and the hurdles encountered. Additionally, the discussion will include information on the ongoing process in maintaining it as a living, relevant document.

Register Here