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Best Management Practices

Provides resources for best management practices (BMP) to prevent or mitigate invasive species establishment or movement.

Spotlights

  • Best Management Practices (BMPs) to Prevent the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species

    • Forest*A*Syst.

    • Most natural resource managers are familiar with the concept of Best Management Practices or BMPs uses in forestry as guidelines for recommended practices to protect water and soil resources during management operations such as timber harvests. As invasive species threaten more lands in the South, land managers can use BMPs for invasive species by developing a proactive approach to invasive species identification, documentation and control on their properties. To accomplish this, landowners must develop an awareness of the potential for the introduction and/or spread of invasive species as related to "normal use or management on their lands".

      Forest*A*Syst is funded by USDA Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service and developed by the Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this subject, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
  • California Invasive Plant Council - Best Management Practices Manuals

    • California Invasive Plant Council.

    • Includes Prevention BMPs for Land Managers, Prevention BMPs for Transportation and Utility Corridors, BMPs for Protecting Wildlife When Using Herbicides, Land Manager’s Guide to Developing an Invasive Plant Management Plan, and Prevention BMPs for Central Sierra Tree Mortality Zones.

  • Ontario Invasive Plant Council - Best Management Practices Series

    • Ontario Invasive Plant Council.

    • In recent years the Ontario Invasive Plant Council has developed Best Management Practices (BMPs) guides for more than 15 different invasive plants in Ontario. The BMPs provide you with a detailed background history on the plant, how to identify it and how to properly manage it. The series promotes the use of integrated pest management to achieve effective control.

  • Wisconsin Council on Forestry - Invasive Species Best Management Practices:

    • Wisconsin Council on Forestry.

    • Invasive exotic species present what may be the greatest threat to the long-term health and sustainability of Wisconsin's forests. Human activities such as trading of goods, travel, gardening, and recreation have resulted in the introduction of many non-native plant and animal species to the state. The Council created the Forestry Invasives Leadership Team to develop voluntary best management practices (BMPs) to help control the spread of invasive species.

Partnership
Federal Government
  • Non-Native Invasive Species Best Management Practices: Guidance for the U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region [PDF, 4.4 MB]

    • Aug 2012
    • USDA. Forest Service.

    • Non-native invasive species (NNIS) pose a threat to forest ecosystems and forest productivity. Managers can play important roles in slowing the spread of NNIS. This guide describes practices to aid in those roles. The goal is to provide practices that prevent the inadvertent spread of NNIS, reducing the impacts of NNIS. The best management practice (BMP) statements in this guide are intended to apply to forest stewardship activities. This guide is intended to help managers make the most efficient use of limited resources to combat NNIS.

State and Local Government
  • Best Management Practices for Control of Non-Native Invasives [PDF, 1.11 MB]

    • Jan 2015
    • Montgomery County Department of Parks (Maryland). Park Planning and Stewardship Division.

    • Natural Resources Stewardship staff (NRS) has determined that many non-native invasive plants (NNIs) known to present a significant threat to the quality and biodiversity of the natural areas occur in this 37,000-acre park system. To support the park mission to steward these lands, Montgomery County Department of Parks has prepared fact sheets for park managers and maintenance personnel with easy-to-read information about mechanical and chemical control methods for several terrestrial NNIs.

  • Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Best Management Practices for Water Access Providers

    • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

    • These best management practices for water accesses have been developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in an effort to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). By following these guidelines, providers of public and private boat access facilities can create visible and functional designated areas where boaters can clean and drain boating equipment and conduct other AIS prevention activities.

  • Best Management Practices (BMP) to Prevent and Minimize the Spread of Invasives

    • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

    • To minimize the spread of invasive species, interested stakeholders have met to develop voluntary Best Management Practices for Invasive Species. These guidelines will help Wisconsin residents and visitors to limit the likelihood of moving invasive species around.

  • Bureau of Environment - Invasive Species Best Management Practices

    • New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

    • To address mounting concerns over invasive plants and the role NHDOT activities play in the spread of these plants along roadsides, Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been developed with input from Maintenance Districts, the Roadside Development Section, the Bureau of Construction, and the NH Department of Agriculture. Implementation of these BMPs will help prevent the spread of invasive plants caused by maintenance and construction activities.

  • Noxious Weed Control in King County - Best Management Practices (BMP's)

    • King County Department of Natural Resources (Washington).

    • King County's Best Management Practices (BMP's) help landowners control weeds using a variety of options that consider characteristics of the site and keep negative side effects to a minimum. The Noxious Weed Control Program follows county guidelines of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The goal is to maximize effective control and to minimize environmental, economic and social damage.

Academic
Professional
  • Biology and Control of Aquatic Plants: A Best Management Practices Handbook

    • 2014
    • Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation.

    • This third edition has been specifically designed with water resource managers, water management associations, homeowners and customers and operators of aquatic plant management companies and districts in mind. The goal in preparing this handbook is to provide basic, scientifically sound information to assist decision makers with their water management questions.