Invasive Plants

Many managers are hampered by the scope of the invasive species problem compared to their available resources. Habitat suitability models of invaders can help fill this resource gap, helping with activities such as watch list compilation and targeted surveillance and eradication efforts.

We are working on understanding the chemical ecology of Rapid ʽŌhiʽa Death - ROD -, which is critical for protecting both healthy and ROD-infected ʽōhi‘a. A better understanding could lead to early ROD detection tools and the development of attractants and repellents to manipulate ambrosia beetle populations.

Melaleuca, also known as a paperbark tree, is an invasive tree.

Brazilian waterweed is an invasive aquatic plant.

Brome is an invasive plant.

Leafy spurge is an invasive Eurasian perennial introduced into the United States as a contaminant of crop seed in the 1880s and 1890s. It is an invasive plant that is poisonous to cattle and infests more than 2.7 million acres in southern Canada and the northern Great Plains. It typically forms monocultures and because of the latex that occurs in all parts of the plant, it is not consumed by...

Siberian elm are an invasive tree.

The abundance of Russian olive varies across the Western United States; these species can be dominant, codominant, or subdominant relative to native species.

For more than a decade, USGS scientists have been leaders in understanding saltcedar invasion on riparian ecosystems in the southwest including effects on plant communities, water loss, erosion, wildlife use and human recreational resources. Models have been developed that quantify the extent of saltcedar distribution and inform management actions. In addition, USGS is studying the effectiveness...

Cheatgrass and other invasive annual grasses continue to expand into the sagebrush ecosystem in the West and are fueling larger and more frequent wildfires. The life cycle of cheatgrass differs from most native grasses in that it dries out early in the season while native grasses are still green and producing seeds. This fuels fires earlier in the season and cheatgrass spreads quickly following...

Invasive species are costly, disrupt natural ecosystems, and consequently threaten native species. Phragmites, a tall wetland grass, has been a part of U.S. wetlands for many years. However, a strain from Europe, introduced in the early 19th century, aggressively displaces the native strain and has spread across the U.S. and Canada. These aggressive invasive plants form highly dense stands that...

The "Phragmites Management and Variable Great Lakes Water Levels" GeoNarrative presents research by the US Geological Survey and US Fish and Wildlife Service on how Great Lakes water levels affect expansion and management of coastal Phragmites populations.