Invasive Species Science


Selected Projects 

Wildfire, Fuel Treatments, and 

Non-Native Plant Species 

Increasingly, public land managers are faced with having to 

protect natural places and processes as well as residents of the 

wildland-urban interface, where 

these twin mandates can collide. 

In collaboration with the Western 

Forest Fire Research Center at 

Colorado State University, FORT scientists are conducting research 

to provide these managers with information that is applicable both 

Capabilities 

challenge of the 21st century in terms of economic, environmental, and human health costs, with an estimated 

resource management problem. 

Invasive, non-native species of plants, animals, and disease organisms adversely affect the ecosystems they enter. 

Like “biological wildfires,” they can quickly spread, and 

they affect nearly all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. 

Invasive species have become the greatest environmental 

impact in the U.S. of over $138 billion per year. Managers 

of Department of the Interior and other public and private 

lands and waters rank invasive species as their top 

The Invasive Species Science Branch of the Fort Collins 

Science Center (FORT) provides research and technical 

assistance relating to invasive species management concerns, including understanding how these species are introduced, identifying areas vulnerable to invasion, forecasting invasions, and developing control methods. To disseminate this information, FORT scientists are 

developing the Invasive Species Information Node of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), a comprehensive, 

Web-accessible database of invasive plant and animal species and disease agents. From these data, and in partnership with Colorado 

State University, the National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA), and others, FORT scientists are constructing models to understand and predict invasive species behavior for more effective management. 

FORT is also the administrative home of the National Institute of Invasive Species Science, a growing consortium of partnerships between government and private organizations established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its many cooperators. The Institute 

was formed to develop cooperative approaches for invasive species science that meet the urgent needs of land managers and the public. 

Its mission is to work with others to coordinate data and research from many sources to predict and reduce the effects of harmful nonnative plants, animals, and diseases in natural areas and throughout the United States, with a strategic approach to information management, research, modeling, technical assistance, and outreach. The Institute research team will develop local-, regional-, and nationalscale maps of invasive species and identify priority invasive species, vulnerable habitats, and pathways of invasion. County-level and 

point data on occurrence will be linked to plot-level and site-level information on species abundance and spread. FORT scientists and 

Institute partners are working to integrate remote sensing data and GIS-based predictive models to track the spread of invasive species 

across the country. This information will be linked to control and restoration efforts to evaluate their cost-effectiveness. Understanding 

both successes and failures will advance the science of invasive species containment and control as well as restoration of habitats and 

native biodiversity. 

ecologically and socially to pre- and post-fire management decisions. Avenues of investigation include the effectiveness of prewildfire fuel reduction treatments on reducing post-fire burn severity; the effects 

of wildfire on native and non-native plant 

species; and the interaction between 

seeded species and native plant species. 

National Wildlife Refuge Invasive 

Species Inventory 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) manages over 500 national 

wildlife refuges, encompassing nearly 

93 million acres and representing every 

U.S. Department of the Interior Fact Sheet 2004–3145 

U.S. Geological Survey December 2004 
major ecosystem type in the U.S. All are experiencing non-native 

plant invasions that threaten the refuges’ ability to fulfill their conservation mission. A cooperative study between the USGS and the 

USFWS entails developing and implementing a system for gathering 

invasive species information from all refuges and coordinating that 

data for managers, from local to national levels. With this synthesized information and the NBII Invasive Species Information Node, 

managers will be able to prioritize control efforts for non-native species already present on their refuges. In addition, they will be able to 

track other non-native species in their vicinities, so they will know 

which species to watch for and attempt to eradicate before they become well-established. 

NBII Invasive Species Information Node 

Working with NASA, the NBII, the Natural Resource Ecology 

Laboratory at Colorado State University, the Biota of North America 

Program (BONAP), several USGS Science Centers, and many others, FORT scientists and cooperators are developing a system for 

coordinating multiple types of data on both native and invasive nonnative species across the U.S. This information will be accessible 

over the World Wide Web in conjunction with analysis tools that will 

allow the user to, among other applications, summarize data for an 

area, query surrounding areas to determine what non-natives are 

encroaching, and even model where current non-native species are 

likely to be located. Currently, a demonstration site is being developed using vegetation data from Colorado. 

Invasive Species Forecasting System 

Invasive plant species pose a major threat to the integrity of native plant communities, often threatening rare and endangered 

plant species as well. Predicting invasive plant behavior in vulnerable areas is key to controlling them. FORT and NASA scientists 

have initiated a three-year cooperative agreement with colleagues 

at Colorado State University to substantially improve predictive 

modeling capabilities for invasive plant species. In 2002, scientists 

began combining new rapid spatial-analysis techniques with highperformance computing capabilities for broad applications in 

“ecological forecasting” of the invasion process. Funded by the 

Computational Technologies Program at NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center, the study’s test data sets will focus on, and immediately benefit, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument, and areas burned in the Cerro 

Grande Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico. 

Brown Treesnake 

The brown treesnake is responsible 

for the extirpation of nearly all native 

bird species and most bats and lizards 

on Guam. It also exacts between 1 and 4 

million dollars per year in damages, including frequent power outages. Keeping 

this voracious snake from other noninfested islands, such as Hawaii and the 

Northern Marianas, is a top priority for 

the Department of the Interior’s Offi ce of 

Insular Affairs. In cooperation with other 

federal, state, and island agencies, FORT 

scientists working in Guam are making 

progress in toxicant research, trapping, population biology, venom 

research, and control strategies. In early 2002, they formed a Rapid 

Response Team to address potential brown treesnake sightings in 

the Pacific. Based in Guam, this interagency team includes trained 

brown treesnake “searchers.” When local authorities request the 

team’s services, the team quickly travels to the sighting location and 

uses all available tools, in cooperation with local counterparts, to 

capture the snake or limit an infestation. 

Staff 

Branch Chief: Tom Stohlgren, Ph.D. Ecologist: invasive species 

science, forest ecology, sampling techniques and design, resource 

inventory and monitoring, global change, grazing impacts, 

biodiversity. 

Crosier, Catherine, Ph.D. Ecologist: non-native and invasive 

species, spatial modeling, landscape ecology. 

Davern, Tracy, M.S. candidate. Student Trainee (Ecology): invasive 

species. 

Kman, Teri, B.S. Wildlife Biologist: brown treesnake research 

and science communications. 

Rodda, Gordon, Ph.D. Zoologist: brown treesnakes, introduced 

species and island habitats, population biology and behavior of 

reptiles and amphibians. 

Stanford, James, M.S. Biologist: coordinator, brown treesnake 

Rapid Response Team. 

VanGelder, Ellen, M.S. Wildlife Biologist: program manager, 

Brown Treesnake Project. 

Contact Information 

Tom Stohlgren, Branch Chief 

U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center 

Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University 

Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 

Tel. 970.491.1980 Fax 970.491.1965 tom_stohlgren@usgs.gov 

FORT Online 

Find information about FORT science, products, and resources at 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov 

Learn more about the Invasive Species Science Branch at 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/research/100/100.asp