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Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests A Field Guide for Identification and Control James H. Miller, Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Auburn University, AL 36849. Revised August 2003. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p. |
Introduction Invasions of nonnative plants into southern forests continue to go unchecked and unmonitored. Invasive nonnative plants infest under and beside forest canopies and occupy small forest openings, increasingly eroding forest productivity, hindering forest use and management activities, and degrading diversity and wildlife habitat. Often called nonnative, exotic, nonindigenous, alien, or noxious weeds, they occur as trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns, and forbs. Some have been introduced into this country accidentally, but most were brought here as ornamentals or for livestock forage. These robust plants arrived without their natural predators of insects and diseases that tend to keep native plants in natural balance. Now they increase across the landscape with little opposition, beyond the control and reclamation measures applied by landowners and managers on individual land holdings. The objective of this book is to provide information on accurate identification and effective control of the 33 plants or groups that are invading the forests of the 13 Southern States at an alarming rate, showing both growing and dormant season traits. It lists other nonnative invasive plants of growing concern and explains control recommendations and selective application procedures. The text and photographs were originally developed to assist in the first region-wide survey and monitoring of these invading species, conducted by the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Research Work Unit of the Southern Research Station in collaboration with State forestry management agencies. The four-number survey codes as well as the international plant codes are given for each species. Integrated vegetation management programs are needed to combat invading nonnative plants. Strategies of surveillance and treatment of new arrivals will safeguard lands, and reclamation of existing infestations can be achieved by concerted control measures and reestablishment of native vegetation. Contents Trees Shrubs Vines Grasses Ferns Forbs Other Nonnative Plants Invading Southern Forests and Their Margins General Principles for Controlling Nonnative Invasive Plants Prescriptions for Specific Nonnative Invasive Plants Sources of Control Information Flower Parts, Flower Types, Inflorescences Leaf Arrangements, Leaf Divisions, Shapes, Margins Pesticide Precautionary Statement Front Cover Acknowledgments The contributions of Erwin B. Chambliss, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL, have been invaluable in image management and layout. Kristine Johnson, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Johnny Randall, North Carolina Botanical Gardens; Jack Ranney, University of Tennessee; and Fred Nations, Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, made comprehensive reviews and provided invaluable recommendations for improvements. Reviews of control recommendations were made by Ron Cornish, Dow ArgroScience; Harry Quicke, BASF Corporation; Carroll Walls, UAP Timberlands; and Michael Link, DuPont Corporation. Their knowledgeable comments greatly strengthened content and clarity. All Plant Images by the Author Except for the Contributions by:
Plant Names and Plant Distribution Maps from:
Available without charge from the Southern Research Station The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. [ Home ] |
Invasive.org is a joint project of The Bugwood Network, USDA Forest Service & USDA APHIS PPQ. The University of Georgia - Warnell School of Forest Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Dept. of Entomology Last updated on Wednesday, November 05, 2003 at 01:38 PM Questions and/or comments to the |