“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.
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)
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
