Invasive Plants – How They Cause Trouble
By Sanne Kure-Jensen
As gardeners and land managers we can keep a watchful eye out for invasive plants in
the areas we manage. When invasives are identified, we can remove or control those
plants and monitor the sites to ensure these aggressive plants are not allowed to return.
By definition, an invasive plant was not present before Europeans came to America, is
not an integral link of the local food ecosystem and whose introduction will or may
cause harm to our economy, ecosystems or human health.
For example, Invasive plants:
- Impact recreation by clogging boat propellers or taking over forests
- Damage habitat and ecosystems by replacing food sources for wildlife in forests,
fields, lakes and rivers. - Reduce yields for foresters, farmers and reduce tourism.
- Harm people by causing skin burns, rashes and diseases.
Our best approach is to prevent introduction of invasive plants. Use caution before
buying a lush plant covered in blooms without a single bee or butterfly at the garden
center. It may not be local native plant and may not fit into the ecosystem at your site.
Our next best options are to remove or contain modest invasive plant populations
before they expand and become well established.
If a large site of invasive infestation is discovered, beyond available resources or
funding to remove, our next best option is to contain it. Do not let invasives go to seed.
That way birds, wildlife or runoff cannot carry away seeds to infest new sites.
Never compost invasive plants. Bag plants, roots and seeds, then dispose as you
would household trash destined for a landfill or trash-to-energy plant.
Here are some common invasive plants to keep any eye out for. If you see one or a few,
verify their identification, then try to remove them promptly and monitor the site
regularly.
Three invasive plants you may come across in the Adirondacks:
Black or Pale Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum) These climbing vines smother forests,
fields and home gardens across the Northeast. Its leaves are toxic to wildlife and
livestock. See photos and learn more at: https://www.adkinvasives.com/Invasive-Species/Detail/68 or at: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/208963-Vincetoxicum-nigrum/browse_photos
Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) This bramble mimics our native raspberry and
brambles growing along forest and wetland edges. See photos and learn more at: Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program | Wineberry or at: Photos of wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) · iNaturalist.
Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) This annual grass can form wide
monoculture in shaded woodlands, open fields and along roadsides. At the end of the
season, it forms thick dry mats of smothering thatch. See photos and learn more at: Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program | Japanese stiltgrass or at: Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program | Japanese stiltgrass.
Helpful Resources:
Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) serves as
the Adirondack Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), one
of eight PRISMs across New York. https://www.adkinvasives.com/
NY iMapInvasives is an online, collaborative, GIS-based database and mapping tool
that serves as the official invasive species database for New York State. Online and in-
person training is available. https://www.nyimapinvasives.org/