There is a concern that introduced plants have become invasive pests. In reality a very limited number of introduced plant species have become invasive in lands not used for urban or agricultural purposes. Where plants have become pests or invasive are mostly disturbed landscapes, wetlands and aquatic areas where native cover has been removed or destroyed. Red maple for example, common only to wet areas many years ago, has been able to establish itself in nearly every area of the state once the hardwood forests were completely removed in the last century. Native plant species should probably be considered for use in the replanting of large disturbed areas such as parks and similar open space.
Most natives require massive amounts of care to be reestablished in disturbed soils.
With attention to the needs of such plants and the modification of the site to meet these needs such plants should grow well. In residential and commercial landscape developments where plants are being used for functional purposes such as shade, screening, enclosure, seasonal color accents and related aesthetic purposes not all native plants will satisfy these needs. Native plants were at one time part of either a prairie, woodland, or wetland setting. Everyone does not wish to live in these types of environments, nor do they want an entire community to be developed into a look-alike suburban landscape composed of massive plant communities suited to the existing habitat. The nursery industry may be able to assist in the selection of plants that do not seed freely, or have a growth habit that permits them to extend beyond their point of establishment.