The report was published by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and edited by Francois B. Laroche, a senior environmental scientist at the South Florida Water Management District. A combination of biological, chemical, mechanical, and physical control methods is directly responsible for this reduction. Melaleuca spread so quickly in South Florida after its introduction 100 years ago because it had no known natural enemies. In Australia, insects helped keep melaleuca growth in check. The beetle already is slowing the spread of new seedlings.
More Australian insects are now in the quarantine pipeline.
However, chemical herbicides currently are the most effective technique available for the short term, and large areas of trees can be treated at a reasonable cost. They also will allow other technologies to be redirected toward eradicating South Florida's many invasive plants. We also thank all the agencies involved in the task force for their support of eradication on public lands. Melaleuca's rapid, aggressive expansion has altered thousands of acres in the Everglades by replacing native tree islands, sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, and aquatic sloughs. Mature melaleuca trees commonly form dense stands that virtually crowd out all other native plant and animal species, especially in disturbed areas.