“Invasive plants are ecological tumors that won’t stay in your yard.” – Dr Doug Tallamy
Impacts of Invasive Plant Species
Noxious Weeds...
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​Are invasive plant species that are able to establish easily, grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting biological communities or ecosystems.
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Known as "habitat transformers," they alter habitat structure and resources, displacing resident wildlife.
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Threaten biodiversity by driving native plants and animals to extinction, outcompeting native species for resources, and altering habitats, leading to profound disruptions in local ecosystems.
Savannah Rose Photography
Wildlife
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce forage - spotted knapweed has reduced available winter forage for elk by 50-90%
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Alter thermal and escape cover
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Change water flow and availability to wildlife
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May reduce territorial space necessary for wildlife survival
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Disrupt seasonal distribution patterns
Water & Fish
Noxious Weeds...
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Increase soil erosion, thus decreasing water holding capacity and storage
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Alter hydrologic cycles in riparian areas, lower the water table, and affect flooding cycles
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Increase sedimentation of streams, impacting spawning grounds and food sources
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In areas dominated by spotted knapweed, runoff is 1.5 times higher and sediment yield was found to be 3 times higher (Lacey, et all. 1989)
Fish Eye Guy Photography
Native Plants
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce biodiversity
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Replace complex communities with simple communities
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Displace rare plant species
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Serve as reservoirs of plant pathogens
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Compete for pollinators
Landowners
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce the value of land
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Require resources (time and money) to manage
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Impact neighborly relations, as inaction by one landowner negatively affects others
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Degrade aesthetic values
Recreation & Hunting
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce recreation & hunting access on private lands
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Alter habitat for game animals and fish
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Decrease success of hunters and anglers
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Increase cost to manage trail systems
Ecosystem
Noxious Weeds...
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Alter fire intensity and frequency
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Modify successional pathways
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Act as alternate hosts for insects and diseases
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Initiates a process that many scientists believe is the beginning of desertification
