**Plant Conservation Alliance**

**Alien Plant Working Group (APWG)**

**An Action Agenda for Invasive Plants**

Report from 1999 workshops held January 12 and 13 as part of the

Native Plant Conservation Initiative Meeting, January 11-15\
at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas

**APWG Chair and Workshop Leader**

Jil M. Swearingen, US National Park Service; Washington, DC

**Workshop Facilitators**

Alisa Shull, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Austin, Texas

Nathan Allan, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Austin, Texas

**Editor**

Karen L. Enyedy

**Participants**

*First Day*

Carole F. Bergmann, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning
Commission

Alison Hill, US Forest Service

Alyce M. Hreha, Utah Native Plant Society

Ruth Ann Ingraham, Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society, Inc.

Edie Jacobsen, US Navy, Southwest Division Naval Facilities

Julie Lyke, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Steven Manning, Invasive Plant Control, Inc.

Richard Moyroud, Florida Native Plant Society, Inc.

Ted Scott, Jr., Virginia Native Plant Society

Michael J. Warnock, Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies

Peter White, North Carolina Botanical Garden

Charlas Wise, Garden Club of America

*Second Day*

Mary Carol Cooper, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Karen L. Enyedy, Native Plant Society of Texas

John Fay, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Russ Hass, US Natural Resources Conservation Service & US National Park
Service

Elizabeth Ley, US Department of Agriculture, National Arboretum

Nancy Morin, American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta

Larry Morse, The Nature Conservancy

Levester Pendergrass, US Forest Service

Jackie Poole, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Kathleen Rice, Desert Botanical Garden

Stacy Scott, US Forest Service

Susan Silander, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Carol Spurrier, US Bureau of Land Management

Paul Teese, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

Hilary Vinson, US Fish and Wildlife Service

**[Case Statement]{.underline}**

Invasive non‑native^1^ plants and other organisms are destroying
America's natural history and identity. These unwelcome invaders are
disrupting natural ecosystems throughout the US, replacing and
eliminating native species and greatly reducing our nation's unique and
diverse biological resources. America's problem with invasive plants is
a mostly unintended result of the introduction of exotic species from
around the globe to every corner of the nation---for landscaping,
erosion control, range forage and other uses.

Exotic plants, free from the complex array of natural controls present
in their native lands (including herbivory, parasites and pathogens),
may experience unrestricted growth when introduced to new environments.
Many exotics introduced to the US have escaped the bounds of their
intended planting sites and now are established over extensive areas. To
date, more than 900 species of invasive, non-native plants have been
identified as a threat to non-native ecosystems and natural areas in the
US. It is these invasive exotic species, with their capacity to
overwhelm and displace US indigenous flora and fauna, that are the
concern of the Alien Plant Working Group and this Action Agenda.^1^

Some of the known impacts of invasive plants include extinction and
reduction of endangered and threatened species and their habitats; loss
of native sources of food and shelter for indigenous insects, birds, and
other wildlife; disruption of native plant‑animal associations (*e.g.*:
pollination, seed dispersal and host-plant relationships); alteration of
ecological processes such as plant succession; alterations to the
frequency and intensity of natural fires; hydrological changes and other
significant ramifications. Invasive species also cause great economic
damage each year in the form of crop, forage, and timber losses, and
require large annual expenditures for weed control.

**[Mission]{.underline}**

The mission of the Alien Plant Working Group is to promote the
conservation and restoration of native plants and natural ecosystems by
preventing the use and introduction of invasive species and by removing
invasive plants from natural areas. The APWG is addressing these goals
by gathering information on invasive species that affect natural areas
in the US; sharing this information with the public, land managers,
scientists, researchers and policy makers; supporting regional and local
invasive plant management efforts, and forming local to international
partnerships. Areas of focus identified by the workshop participants are
in line with those identified by the National Invasive Species Council
(or NISC, an executive committee established through President Clinton's
Executive Order 13112), and include the following categories: [policy
and guidelines]{.underline}, [research]{.underline}, [information
management]{.underline}, [on-the-ground management]{.underline},
[outreach and education]{.underline}, [resources and
training]{.underline}, [communication, networking and
partnerships]{.underline}, and [funding.]{.underline}

**POLICY AND GUIDELINES**

### [Outcome 1.]{.underline}

### Invasive, non-native species are no longer used for landscaping, restoration, wildlife habitat enhancement, range-land forage and other purposes, except where situations indicate there would be no likely movement of the plant, or its reproductive parts, to a natural area or to the environment at large.

## Actions:

1.  Prohibit use of invasive, non-native species for landscaping,
    restoration, wildlife enhancement, range-land forage or other
    purposes at local, regional, state and national levels.

2.  Require and encourage the use of native and non-invasive species in
    landscaping, restoration, wildlife habitat enhancement, range-land
    forage and other purposes.

3.  Develop guidelines for the use of native and non-invasive species
    for landscaping, restoration, wildlife enhancement, range-land
    forage and other purposes.

4.  Develop incentives for land managers, farmers, ranchers, homeowners
    and others to control and discontinue the use of invasive species
    and to use native and non-invasive species.

### [Outcome 2.]{.underline}

### Known or probable invasive, non-native species are no longer imported nor introduced into the US.

## Actions:

1.  Develop national policy to implement standards for invasiveness
    testing, in coordination with researchers and the National Invasive
    Species Council (NISC).

2.  Develop a national certification program for non-invasive species.

3.  Develop policies that prohibit the importation and introduction of
    species that have a likelihood of becoming invasive in the US and
    that have not been certified as non-invasive.

### [Outcome 3.]{.underline} 

### Biological control agents used against non-native invasive plants are specific to the target pest plant, and naturally occurring biological controls are encouraged.

## Actions:

1\. Develop adequate safeguards to ensure that non-native control agents
for invasive plants are specific to the target plant, and do not harm
native species.

2\. Where appropriate, encourage naturally occurring biological
controls, such as herbivores and pathogens, that develop on invasive,
non-native plants.

**[Outcome 4.]{.underline}**

### Known invasive species are no longer exported from the US, nor transported within the US, to locations where there is a likelihood that they will become invasive.

## Actions:

1.  Develop a national policy to ensure that species with known invasive
    characteristics are not exported from the US to other countries
    where they are likely to become invasive.

2.  Develop a national policy to ensure that species native to one part
    of the US are not transported to other parts of the country where
    they are likely to become invasive.

### 

###### [Outcome 5.]{.underline}

**Known invasive species are no longer sold or promoted by the
horticultural industry, or others, for use in parts of the country where
they are known to be, or are likely to become, invasive.**

## Actions:

1\. Develop laws at all levels that prohibit the propagation and sale of
known invasive species in areas where they are, or are likely to become,
invasive.

2.  Develop incentives for the horticultural industry to market native
    species and species certified as non-invasive.

### 

### [Outcome 6.]{.underline}

### National, state and local policies fully address the need to control non-native invasive species, including species long-established in the US.

## Actions:

1.  Analyze and identify gaps in existing policies and regulations on
    the control of invasive species.

2.  Create enforcement options to prevent known invasive plant species
    from spreading beyond infested areas.

3.  Incorporate National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process
    into proposed invasive plant management plans.

    **RESEARCH**

### [Outcome 1.]{.underline} 

### Research initiatives effectively address the threat of invasive alien plants. 

## Actions:

1.  Identify research needs for invasive plants of natural ecosystems.

2.  Determine research priorities.

3.  Develop invasiveness testing procedures and standards.

4.  Identify native substitutions for plant species used for forage,
    landscape and restoration plantings, wildlife habitat enhancement
    and other purposes.

5.  Develop criteria for determining the invasiveness of a species based
    on qualitative characteristics and quantifiable evidence.

6.  Consider researching cause and effect relationships of invasive
    plants.

**INFORMATION MANAGEMENT**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Agencies and organizations achieve consensus on terminology and come
to endorse and use common definitions for words including: "alien,"
"exotic," "invasive," etc.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Form a panel to review existing definitions (*e.g.:* those used in
    Executive Order 13112), develop consensus definitions, and make
    recommendations for adoption.

2.  Create or find a term for describing a species that becomes invasive
    within its native range.

    **[Outcome 2.]{.underline}**

    **A national web site provides information on invasive species,
    including distribution, invasiveness, control, native substitutes,
    etc.**

    ***Actions:***

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1.  Support continued development of PCA-APWG projects including:

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A.  Web page "**Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural
    Areas"**

    http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien and its following components---\
    • Background information (terminology, statement of the problem, and
    how individuals can help);\
    • Database of invasive plants of natural areas (Natural Area Weeds
    Database); ^2^\
    • Fact sheets (include information such as native origin,
    description, ecological threat, distribution, habitat, management,
    alternative plants, links to experts);\
    • Internet links to information sources, organizations and
    partners;\
    • Publications, press releases, meeting notices, etc.

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B.  Regional invasive plant control manuals (*e.g.:* Weed Busters
    Handbook for the mid-Atlantic region).

C.  Regional invasive plant training program for volunteers (*e.g.:*
    Weed Buster's Training and Certification Program).

D.  Slide presentation(s) on invasive plants.

E.  World Wide Weed Web (Weed Web) global directory of invasive species
    partners.

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2.  Continue to develop and update link exchanges to relevant web sites.

3.  Support and coordinate with other web-based efforts focused on
    invasive plants that affect natural ecosystems, combining efforts
    where beneficial.

###### [Outcome 3]{.underline}.

**Information on invasive plants is compiled and accessible to land
managers, the scientific community, the plant industry and the
public---both electronically and as hard copy.**

***Actions:***

1.  Compile publications and other information on invasive species.

2.  Make publications and other information available on the national
    invasive species web site.

3.  Ensure that research results and other new information, such as
    Early Warning System (EWS) announcements, are readily accessible to
    all users. ^3^

4.  Identify information gaps and make recommendations for addressing
    these.

5.  Explore the creation of a physical repository for print materials on
    invasive plants.

    **[Outcome 4.]{.underline}**

    **National, regional and state lists of invasive plants are compiled
    and prioritized according to criteria developed by scientists and
    researchers.**

    ***Actions:***

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1.  Build upon resources like the PCA national database of invasive
    plants of natural areas (Natural Area Weeds Database), which
    includes invasive plant species identified by Exotic Pest Plant
    Councils, The Nature Conservancy, state natural resource offices,
    and other relevant sources.

2.  Ensure that species included on lists meet criteria for
    non-invasiveness, as developed by the research community.

3.  Adopt and employ invasive plant ranking criteria, such as the system
    being developed by The Nature Conservancy, to determine national
    invasive plant priorities.

**ON-THE-GROUND MANAGEMENT**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Invasive plant control project managers, the public, and others, are
aware of the importance of preventing the introduction and spread of
invasive plant species to non-infested areas.**

***Action:***

1.  Develop guidelines for preventing the spread of invasive plant
    species between infested areas or other sources to non-infested
    lands of all types, including parks, preserves, refuges,
    recreational lands, range lands, national forests, roadways, etc.

2.  Encourage creative solutions to prevent the spread and introduction
    of invasive plants on public and private lands by hikers, campers,
    cyclists, snow-mobile and other motorized-vehicle users, fire
    suppression teams, and others.

3.  Ensure that prevention is an integral part of approved integrated
    weed management plans.

**[Outcome 2.]{.underline}**

**Invasive plant control projects employ Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) practices and comply with environmental regulations.**

***Actions:***

1.  Incorporate IPM methodologies into the development of invasive plant
    control projects, using established policies and protocols.

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2.  Ensure compliance with environmental regulations such as the
    National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Insecticide,
    Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), etc., when developing and
    implementing invasive plant control projects.

**[Outcome 3.]{.underline}**

**Invasive plants are controlled and monitored to achieve long-term
restoration of natural areas.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Establish a reliable methodology for monitoring and evaluating
    invasive plant control projects using, for example, the Bureau of
    Land Management's technical reference: *Measuring and Monitoring
    Plant Populations*.

2.  Develop measures to ensure that lands not included in invasive plant
    control projects are surveyed for the occurrence of invasive species
    and are considered for control as needed.

3.  Ensure that new occurrences of invasive species are documented and
    considered for inclusion in control plans, and reported to the Early
    Warning System (EWS) where necessary

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4.  Support the development of a national program to measure annual
    changes in invasive plant populations, for example a "no net
    increase" program, similar to the national "no net loss" program for
    tracking wetlands.

**OUTREACH AND EDUCATION**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Widespread awareness of invasive species issues reaches the general
public, educators, the horticultural industry, the news media, land
managers and policy-makers.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Advertise the invasive plant list serve for information exchange.

2.  Widely advertise invasive plant educational materials through APWG's
    "Weeds Gone Wild" web pages.

3.  Ensure that public education programs emphasize the importance of
    prevention in invasive plant control efforts.

4.  Identify audiences that are uninformed about invasive plant issues
    and take steps to reach them.

5.  Explore effective means for distributing APWG and other print
    materials on invasive plants.

6.  Ensure that information about invasive species is included in PCA
    publications and speakers' bureau presentations.

7.  Create a major national campaign to address invasive plant issues
    through such features as a popular slogan, a mascot (like
    Australia's "Woody the Weed"), etc.

8.  Promote the institutionalization of a national "Weed Awareness Week"
    and "Weed Busters Day."

9.  Develop a "news to use" service for editors of internal newsletters
    at corporations, partnering organizations, etc., to provide "drop
    in" articles and graphics on invasive plant issues.

**[Outcome 2.]{.underline}**

**Invasive species projects capture attention and draw participation
from a wide cross section of the national population.**

***Actions:***

1.  Advertise and promote incentive programs to reward home owners, land
    owners, developers and others for controlling invasive plants and
    reestablishing native species on their properties (*e.g.:* PCA award
    certificates, "Weed Buster"\
    awards, etc).

2.  Explore new outreach incentives like invasive plant "posses" and
    "bounties" to involve the public in the control of invasive plants.

3.  Promote an adoption system for natural areas, parklands, highways,
    schools, backyards and other lands in need of invasive plant
    management (similar to various anti-litter "adopt a highway"
    initiatives).

**[Outcome 3.]{.underline}**

**Invasive plant education efforts are incorporated into relevant public
programs and curricula.**

***Actions:***

1.  Coordinate education efforts with state cooperative extension
    service agencies, native plant societies, garden clubs, conservation
    organizations, the academic community and others.

2.  Ensure that invasive plant educational content includes information
    about the ways in which agriculture, forestry, ranching,
    landscaping, roadway construction, home-building and other
    land-development practices cause and contribute to the invasive
    plant problem.

3.  Ensure that new information about invasive plants, reported by
    researchers and scientists, natural resource managers and others, is
    accessible to Weed Web partners and the public.

**[Outcome 4.]{.underline}**

**Information about invasive species and their control is included in
plant science classes at all levels, as well as in the curricula of
other relevant programs such as landscape architecture, community
planning, etc.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Work with national education organizations such as the National
    Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Science Education
    Standards Center (CCE), the North American Association for
    Environmental Education (NAAEE), the National Academy of Science and
    other such organizations, along with major science textbook
    publishers, to develop educational curricula on invasive species for
    primary, secondary and higher education.

2.  Explore opportunities to work with the Association of Governing
    Boards of Universities and Colleges, and with boards of regents at
    land grant colleges and other institutions offering programs in
    horticulture, landscape architecture, community planning and
    agriculture, to ensure inclusion of invasive plant issues in the
    curricula of these major fields of influence.

3.  Develop invasive plant teaching tools for educators at all levels.

4.  Develop self-instructive teaching tools and games (both computerized
    and non-computerized) on invasive plants for children and adults.

**RESOURCES AND TRAINING**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Training as well as supply of personnel---staff, contract labor and
volunteers---is sufficient to achieve invasive plant management goals.**

***Actions:***

1.  Provide invasive plant training workshops for organizations such as
    cooperative extension agencies (*e.g:* Master Gardeners and Master
    Naturalists), botanic gardens, garden clubs, etc.

2.  Provide training for natural resource managers, maintenance staff,
    and others, on invasive plant identification and control.

3.  Support implementation and expansion of national programs, such as
    the National Park Service's Exotic Plant Management Teams (EPMT).

4.  Support the development of volunteer invasive plant control groups,
    for example, a National Weed Corps, the PCA "Weed Busters" force,
    etc.

5.  Find ways to engage other groups, such as non-violent offenders, in
    invasive plant control projects.

**COMMUNICATION, NETWORKING & PARTNERSHIPS**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Communication is effectively established between traditional (natural
resource fields) and non-traditional (horticultural industry, botanical
gardens and arboreta, landscape architects, etc. ) partners.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Establish an Internet-based list serve and formalize communication
    among Weed Web partners.

2.  Continue to develop and expand the APWG's World Wide Weed Web (Weed
    Web) to identify all existing and potential partners for inclusion
    in national invasive species efforts.

3.  Identify committed "point person" for each institution or
    organization on the Weed Web.

4.  Ensure that nursery industry professionals and others working
    outside the field of natural resources are invited to participate in
    invasive plant meetings, work shops and events organized by natural
    area partners.

**[Outcome 2.]{.underline}**

**Nursery industry, arboreta, seed trade associations and others
involved with importation, marketing and distribution of plant materials
become leaders in developing responsible importing, testing, sales and
marketing practices and in educating the public about the negative
impacts and costs of invasive exotic species.**

> ***Actions:***

1.  Work to remove highly invasive plants from market regions where they
    would be disruptive to natural area ecosystems.

2.  Develop local or regional market area lists for native plant
    substitutes and certified non-invasive plants.

3.  Develop guidelines for gardeners and landscapers on the control of
    invasive species.

4.  Develop and adopt a code of ethics regarding use, trade or sale of
    invasive species (like the North Carolina Botanical Garden's "Chapel
    Hill Thesis and Challenge").

**[Outcome 3.]{.underline}**

**An Early Warning System (EWS) provides urgent communication Weed Web
partners about newly detected invasive species occurrences.**

## Action:

1.  Connect with and support ongoing efforts by the federal government
    and others to develop and implement an EWS (Early Warning System)
    for invasive species:

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A.  Review existing methods for other national alert systems, such as
    those in use for severe weather alerts.

B.  Establish procedures to ensure correct identification (*i.e.:*
    specimen vouchers; DNA testing, etc.) of plants announced through
    the EWS.

**[Outcome 4.]{.underline}**

**An Early Warning System (EWS) provides urgent communication to land
managers about detected locations of highly invasive species in the US
(at various points of entry, and elsewhere) and about their level of
threat.**

## Action:

1.  Connect with and support ongoing efforts by federal government and
    others to develop and implement an EWS (Early Warning System) for
    invasive species.

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A.  Review existing methods for other national alert or warning systems
    (*e.g.*: weather);

B.  Establish procedures to ensure correct identification (*i.e.:*
    specimen vouchers; DNA testing, etc.) of plants announced through
    the EWS.

**FUNDING**

**[Outcome 1.]{.underline}**

**Adequate funding exists to accomplish invasive plant management,
research, outreach and educational goals.**

***Actions:***

1.  Secure congressional appropriations.

2.  Identify and pursue private funding sources for invasive species
    projects.

3.  Maximize cost shares for invasive plant projects by seeking
    cooperative agreements and other fiscal arrangements with partners.

4.  Create and facilitate partnerships to share resources for invasive
    plant efforts.

5.  Periodically reassess use of existing funds for invasive species
    projects and redirect to higher priorities where appropriate.

6.  Ensure that appropriate foundations and institutions are informed
    about the resource needs and funding priorities for invasive plant
    management, research, outreach and education.

[Footnotes]{.underline}

^1^[Definitions]{.underline}

The following definitions are consistent with those developed by the
President's Invasive Species Council and Executive Order Number 13112 on
Invasive Species, dated February 3, 1999.

> ^1a^A [native]{.underline} or [indigenous]{.underline} species is one
> that occurs in a particular place (e.g., habitat and ecosystem) as a
> result of natural forces, exclusive of human actions. Species native
> to the US and other parts of North America are generally recognized as
> those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement.
>
> ^1b^[Non-native]{.underline} ([alien]{.underline},
> [exotic]{.underline}, [non-indigenous]{.underline}) species are those
> that exist at a site as a result of direct, indirect, accidental or
> intentional human actions. This term can be used to describe a species
> introduced to the US from another country or continent as well as a US
> native species that has been introduced to a part of the US outside of
> its known natural range.

^1c^An [invasive]{.underline} species is one that has the capacity to
grow and spread rapidly, establish over large areas, and become
dominant.

^2^Swearingen, J. Natural Area Weeds Database, 2000. A draft in process
for the Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group. Located
at US National Park Service, National Capital Region, office of Jil M.
Swearingen, IPM Coordinator.

^3^See APWG Action Agenda category Communication, Networking and
Partnerships, Outcome 3 and Outcome 4.

APWG Action Agenda stops here