Noxious Weeds Damage Is Widespread

March 16, 2000

Noxious weed infestations are a growing danger to national forests, recreational and agricultural lands, according to a new study from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). Costly and often irreparable damage occurs to wetlands, wildlife habitat, wildlands, rangelands and aquatic and riparian areas on public and private lands nationwide.

Barbra H. Mullin, weed coordinator for the Montana Department of Agriculture, chaired a five-member CAST task force that produced the report. According to the report, rangelands and wildlands comprise more than 50% of total land in the United States and provide resources to wildlife and recreation.

Mullin warns that "the diverse fish, wildlife, waterfowl and endangered species living in these areas are in serious danger of losing their native habitats."

Hundreds of thousands of non-native plant species are brought into the United States each year. Not all become established or become a problem but many do, says Mullin. Damaging, invasive weeds can cause lethal neurological disorders in animals and physical injury to eyes and mouths of animals, decrease plant diversity, compete with native plant species and increase the frequency of forest and rangeland fires.

"Noxious aquatic weeds are causing significant ecological and economic impacts on dwindling aquatic wetland and riparian areas," according to the study. Infestations limit the growth of desirable native vegetation; alter fish, wildlife and waterfowl communities and reduce overall biodiversity, water quality and habitat.

Kurt Getsinger, co-author and research biologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, MS, believes the situation can be reversed. "Programs based on arbitrary geopolitical boundaries must be replaced by approaches based on ecosystem-scale realities," he said.

Copies of the report are available from CAST at (515) 292-2125 or by e-mail at cast@cast-science.org. It is titled Invasive Plant Species.