Reactive and Inconsistent Practices Hamstring Efforts to Manage Invasive Plants in the United States
University of Massachusetts - Amherst.
Research led by Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) team members Eve Beaury and Emily Fusco evaluates the current landscape of invasive plant regulations across U.S.states. We've got a lot of room for improvement - especially in addressing the need to prohibit range-shifting invasive plants before they arrive. As plants continue to move north driven by climate change, the number of invasives will only increase. Unfortunately, inconsistent regulations that vary from state to state means that invasive plants have an edge on our attempts to control them. However, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology (requires login 🔒) suggests that we already have an answer in hand – communication.