Forest Service Updates Free Guide To Invasive Plants In Southern Forests

 USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Director Jim Reaves today announced that gardeners, foresters, landowners and others concerned about nonnative invasive plants in the South can now request free copies of "A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests". The long-awaited book is an update of the very popular "Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control", published by the Station in 2003.

"The book's lead author, Jim Miller, is one of the foremost authorities on invasive plants in the South, so we're delighted to offer this enhanced field guide at no cost to anyone interested in learning about and identifying invasive plants in the region," said Reaves. "The Forest Service has distributed nearly 160,000 copies of Jim's first book on invasive plants, and with the spread of exotic species across region, we expect there will be even more demand for this expanded version."

SRS Research Ecologist Jim Miller co-authored "Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" with SRS Research Technician, Erwin Chambliss and Research Fellow and Extension Specialist at Auburn University Nancy Loewenstein.

"Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" gives users a more comprehensive identification guide to nonnative trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns and forbs invading the region’s forests and other natural areas. The updated field guide added:

23 more plant species with updated information on the original 33 species
241 new photos and images
Enhanced photo clarity and color
A new "Resembles" section so users can identify plant "look-alikes"

The book's appendix contains the most complete list of nonnative invasive plants in the 13 Southern states, providing common and scientific names for 310 other invading species including, for the first time, aquatic plant invaders. Also, the authors updated the "Sources of Identification Information" section to include the latest books, manuals and articles on invasive plants. The ever-expanding website section lists Internet resources that provide useful information on identification and efficient management.

At the same time, "Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" retains features that attracted users to Miller's first book, such as detailed descriptions of select plants, their stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, ecology, history and use, and distribution.

"Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" differs from Miller's first book in that the update focuses solely on the "identification" of exotic plants and does not include "control" methods.  Jim Miller and co-authors Steven Manning, president of Invasive Plant Control, Inc., and Stephen Enloe, weed management extension specialist at Auburn University, cover methods for controlling invasive plants in a new, companion book titled "A Management Guide for Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests," available October, 2010.

People can request copies of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests by sending their name and complete mailing address, along with book title, author, and publication number GTR-SRS-119 to: pubrequest@fs.fed.us.

"Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" is posted in PDF format on the SRS website at www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/35292. In addition, the book is available in html format at
http://wiki.bugwood.org/Archive:IPSF. People interested in using images from the book can download files at www.forestryimages.org.


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High school students, teachers get schooled on invasive species

High School students and teachers from all over south Georgia gathered in Tifton earlier this month to learn more about invasive species and what to do if they see them.

The Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System is a web-based system anyone can use to report and document invasive species. The teachers and students attended the first-ever workshop for the system in Georgia.

The workshop was organized by Susan Reinhardt, the K-12 program coordinator on the University of Georgia campus in Tifton. Part of the Young Scholars program, the workshop showed them how to find invasive species, why they are harmful and how to report them using the EDDMapS mapping system. On a field trip, the participants saw and collected information on invasive plants firsthand.

“My goal was to show them that invasive species are everywhere, even in their own backyard,” said Karan Rawlins, an invasive species coordinator with the UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. “They were shocked as we found over a dozen invasive plants including mimosa, Chinese wisteria, Japanese honeysuckle, Chinese tallowtree, Japanese climbing fern, wild taro, and Chinese privet in a small area on (the Tifton) campus.”

As the invasive species were found, the group took pictures of the plants and GPS coordinates to mark each plant. This information was later put into the EDDMapS.

To learn more about EDDMapS or to report an invasive species, go to the website www.eddmaps.org.


By Erin Griffin
University of Georgia


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Interior and Agriculture Departments Announce Joint New Climate Change Research Projects on SE and NW Freshwater Systems

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today(July 27) announced joint scientific research projects that address the effects of climate change on freshwater systems and sensitive aquatic species in the northwestern and southeastern United States.

"Addressing the challenges of climate change will require new tools that enable our leaders to develop successful strategies," said Vilsack. "This research will provide tools and information to help ensure that aquatic ecosystems in the Northwest and Southeast remain healthy in the face of climate change."

"Conserving our nation's fisheries and aquatic ecosystems will be a challenge as climate change continues," said Salazar. "These collaborative research projects will provide the science and technology needed by the Interior Department and other natural resource managers to plan for coping with these challenges, especially in sensitive aquatic environments."

Salazar noted that these projects are an early indication of the kind of science and management support that will be generated by the Interior Department's regional climate science centers, which will be established in the Northwest and Southeast later this year. "Collaborative science targeted at managers needs is our agenda," Salazar said.

The multi-year $500,000 joint USDA-DOI projects, which will be carried out by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) scientists, will make use of existing data, field studies and modeling to better understand the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Information from the project will help guide science-based land-use decisions by federal agencies and others engaged in long-term planning for climate adaptation.

In the Northwest, a region known for its abundant supply of cold and clean fresh water, the project's goal is to identify how climate change will affect water temperature, quality and quantity, as well as the likely effects of increasing and more fluctuating water temperatures on coldwater-dependent fish such as trout and salmon.

Regional climate change will likely cause altered hydrology and water temperatures, vital components of water quality and healthy life cycles for species such as Pacific salmon, trout and chars, which depend on coldwater habitats. At the same time, little is known about existing and potential impacts of climate change for stream temperature in the Pacific Northwest. With a better understanding these factors – temperature and altered water flows – experts will be able to help guide land-use decisions by federal and state agencies planning for climate adaptation in the area.

In the Southeast, the project's goal is to develop tools managers can use to minimize the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and the coldwater-dependent species in them, as well as on related ecosystem service such as drinking water quality and wildlife-based recreation. The scientists will refine and combine climate and hydrologic models for the region that will help resource professionals assess how land-use and water-management decisions will affect coldwater fish species such as brook trout, and the transition from coldwater fisheries in the mountains to warm water fisheries in the lower-lying Piedmont area.
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