Sectoral Impacts of Invasive Species in the United States and Approaches to Management

Invasive species have a major effect on many sectors of the U.S. economy and on the well-being of its citizens. Their presence impacts animal and human health, military readiness, urban vegetation and infrastructure, water, energy and transportations systems, and indigenous peoples in the United States (Table 9.1). They alter bio-physical systems and cultural practices and require significant public and private expenditure for control. This chapter provides examples of the impacts to human systems and explains mechanisms of invasive species’ establishment and spread within sectors of the U.S. economy. The chapter is not intended to be comprehensive but rather to provide insight into the range and severity of impacts. Examples provide context for ongoing Federal programs and initiatives and support State and private efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species and eradicate and control established invasive species

Where the forest meets the roadside: why state departments of transportation manage for grassland communities

Through a sampling of State highway maintenance practices, this paper explores how over 10 million acres of State highway rights-of-way can be converted to conservation acres. States plant and preserve native grasses and forbs, and hold back forest succession to create clear zones for the safety of highway users. This paper explains the clear zone’s importance to the traveling public’s safety and the evolution of policy towards the use of native plants, specifically grasslands, in clear zones. Incorporating grassland management to those rights-of-way, can result in additional conservation acres and safe travel

Incorporating invasive plant analysis into NEPA

One of today’s largest ecological problems is biological pollution, or the spread of invasive plant and animal species. We lose 4600 acres daily to new weed infestations. The ecological and economic costs to the nation are staggering (Westbrooks 1996). In response, the Federal Interagency Committee on the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW) helped draft Executive Order 13112. All 16 agencies involved were responsible for the field guidance that followed (NISC 2001). In accordance with the EO 13112 goals of prevention, control, restoration, and education, FHWA sent guidance to all state Departments of Transportation asking that analysis of invasive species be incorporated within the NEPA process. The 1999 guidance was aimed at preventing the spread of weeds on highway projects and through maintenance practices (Harper-Lore 2000). State case studies will demonstrate how this Executive Order was incorporated into national policy and translated to highway construction and maintenance projects

Roadside review of vegetation problems, policy, and applied research

It is only in recent years that maintenance and landscape crews in transportation began to think of themselves as land managers, with some historic exception. Combining interstate and state highway rights-of-way, they care for some 12 million acres of land across the nation. Because their highway corridors slice through your lands, neighbors need to know what they do and why they do it. Together roadside managers are willing to partner with adjacent landowners and agencies to implement current best management practices (BMPs). Some BMPs to address age-old questions of safety, construction costs, and environmental impacts follow, along with suggestions for future change

Roadside review of vegetation problems, policy, and applied research

It is only in recent years that maintenance and landscape crews in transportation began to think of themselves as land managers, with some historic exception. Combining interstate and state highway rights-of-way, they care for some 12 million acres of land across the nation. Because their highway corridors slice through your lands, neighbors need to know what they do and why they do it. Together roadside managers are willing to partner with adjacent landowners and agencies to implement current best management practices (BMPs). Some BMPs to address age-old questions of safety, construction costs, and environmental impacts follow, along with suggestions for future change

Incorporating invasive plant analysis into NEPA

One of today’s largest ecological problems is biological pollution, or the spread of invasive plant and animal species. We lose 4600 acres daily to new weed infestations. The ecological and economic costs to the nation are staggering (Westbrooks 1996). In response, the Federal Interagency Committee on the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW) helped draft Executive Order 13112. All 16 agencies involved were responsible for the field guidance that followed (NISC 2001). In accordance with the EO 13112 goals of prevention, control, restoration, and education, FHWA sent guidance to all state Departments of Transportation asking that analysis of invasive species be incorporated within the NEPA process. The 1999 guidance was aimed at preventing the spread of weeds on highway projects and through maintenance practices (Harper-Lore 2000). State case studies will demonstrate how this Executive Order was incorporated into national policy and translated to highway construction and maintenance projects