After all, to the untrained eye, a natural area and open space are indistinguishable. And exotic plants are often quite beautiful in their own right, which is exactly why many of them were transported here to begin with. The lack of public awareness of the invasion problem was recently highlighted in an article in the Natural Areas Journal. A quick skim through the last Fremontia will likely leave you feeling depressed. If by any chance you found yourself cheered by the introductory article's conclusion that the introduction of new weeds to California is slowing in recent years, remember that this refers just to the appearance of new weeds, not the problems posed by old ones.
Many invasive species cause dramatic changes to basic ecosystem functions and processes.
Yellow bush lupine, for example, causes enrichment of the soil by elevating nitrogen levels, and facilitates the invasion of many other weedy species, and even some native species that normally would not be found on the dunes. In these cases restoration becomes much more difficult than just removing the offending plant. Meanwhile, invasive species increase in area exponentially, so with every passing decade the problem multiplies. The advanced state of this problem has led those of us in the business of restoring dunes to consider drastic and sometimes unlikely solutions, such as the use of bulldozers to remove beachgrass. Solutions like these may be unpopular with the public, who equate bulldozers with development.