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When the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in 2016, giant ships that now must dock at West Coast ports after crossing the Pacific will be able to deliver cargo directly to ports on the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast. One thing they may be delivering, according to a recent study, is a much larger number of alien species.

Several local and federal agencies today took another step in protecting America's Everglades by releasing an insect reared to combat the invasive Brazilian peppertree. The insects, known as thrips, were reared as part of a joint partnership between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to combat invasive plants in South Florida's ecosystem.

As climate change reduces the frequency and intensity of killing freezes, tropical plants and animals that once could survive in only a few parts of the U.S. mainland are expanding their ranges northward, a new U.S. Geological Survey-led study has found. The change is likely to result in some temperate zone plant and animal communities found today across the southern U.S. being replaced by tropical communities. These changes will have complex economic, ecological and human health consequences, the study predicts. Some effects are potentially beneficial, such as expanding winter habitat for cold-sensitive manatees and sea turtles; others pose problems, such as the spread of insect-borne human diseases and destructive invasive species.

ARS researchers created a new tool, called Pathogen and Tree Fruit Health Map (PATHMAP), which will connect growers in different states and allow them to share important data regarding tree fruit diseases, disorders, and insect pests. This online interactive tool will enable growers to modify and adjust their pathogen and pest control programs based on real-time data, provide quick access to time-sensitive data, give them access to experts in the field, and provide access to previous years observations and track current diseases, disorders and pests.
See also: Down on the Farm archives

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has added ravenna grass, glossy buckthorn and common buckthorn to a list of noxious weeds — plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The non-native plants spread aggressively into wooded areas and fields, crowding out beneficial plants and disrupting native ecosystems. The ban on sale and cultivation will take effect April 5, 2022 with enforcement phased in over the next year.

Recent surveys by the PFBC and partner organizations have detected New Zealand mudsnails, roughly the size of a match head, in several popular cold-water trout fisheries in central and eastern Pennsylvania. In some infested waters, New Zealand Mudsnails have the potential to reach densities of hundreds or even thousands of snails per square foot. These snails are not harmful to humans but can compete with and negatively impact native freshwater invertebrate species, such as other snails and aquatic insects.

Until recently, New Zealand Mudsnails were known to occur only in Lake Erie, Erie County; Spring Creek and Bald Eagle Creek, Centre County; and the Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh and Berks counties. Surveys during 2020 revealed populations of snails in Trindle Spring Run, Cumberland County; Codorus Creek, York County; and Valley Creek, Chester County; prompting expanded surveys. Members of the public who observe suspected New Zealand Mudsnails or other aquatic invasive species can report sightings of aquatic invasive species to the PFBC using its online form.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council shared findings from the first statewide survey of impacts from invasive plants, insects, pathogens and animals, and announced that a pilot test of a regional invasive species management program will launch this summer. The Governor’s Invasive Species Council conducted the Pennsylvania Invasive Species Impacts Survey last fall to hear directly from Pennsylvanians about impacts they’re experiencing from invasives.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced that the department is launching an effort at nine state parks this summer to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, and get boaters involved in invasive species detection. "Boats, motors, and trailers have ideal hiding spots where species may attach, and be transported to new locations," Dunn said. "Boaters must be involved in helping us protect state park waters from invaders, to benefit our environment and avoid very costly measures to treat lakes once these non-native species take hold." Starting this week, DCNR staff will be doing voluntary boat and trailer checks at boat launches on park lakes, handing out informational brochures and demonstrating how to do an inspection.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture added Callery pear, or Pyrus calleryana, commonly called Bradford Pear to a list of noxious weeds — plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The popular, non-native, flowering fruit tree naturalizes, spreading from planted landscapes, crowding out other plants and disrupting native ecosystems. The ban on sale and cultivation took effect February 9, 2022 with enforcement phased in over two years.

The PA Department of Agriculture added Japanese Barberry, or Berberis thunbergii, to a list of noxious weeds — plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The popular, non-native, ornamental shrub forms dense, prickly thickets that crowd out plants and disrupt native ecosystems. It is also thought to harbor black-legged ticks that spread lyme disease. The ban on sale and cultivation took effect October 8, 2021. Enforcement of the ban will be phased in over two years to allow time for nurseries to eliminate it from their stock, find non-harmful alternatives, and develop seedless, sterile varieties that pose less threat to the environment and agriculture. Landscape and nursery businesses will receive notices of the timeline, procedures and exemption process for sterile varieties. Property owners should consider eliminating the shrubs on their land.

Effective October 8, 2021, the department added two other plants to the noxious weed list: garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, and Japanese stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum. These plants are generally not sold in nurseries but are invasive and common in Pennsylvania. Landowners with these plants on their property are encouraged to remove them.

An $800,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will support a two-year effort to control and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species across Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on the Lake Erie Basin. The funding, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, supports efforts to implement Pennsylvania’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Management Plan. It will directly support nine field projects to prevent or control the spread of aquatic invasive species, including: targeted control of Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) in Pymatuning Lake; the removal of red-eared slider turtles from Presque Isle Bay; and surveys of Natural Heritage Areas within the Lake Erie watershed.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced $17.5 million in emergency funding to stop the spread of the spotted lanternfly in southeastern Pennsylvania. The spotted lanternfly, with its distinctive and colorful wings, was first identified in Pennsylvania in 2014. The affected area expanded from 174 square miles in fiscal year (FY) 2016 to approximately 3,000 square miles by the end of FY 2017.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has issued a strong advisory to encourage anglers who catch invasive Northern Snakeheads in the lower Susquehanna River, and elsewhere in the Commonwealth, to report and dispose of any fish caught. This advisory follows multiple Northern Snakehead captures in Conowingo Reservoir by anglers and natural resource agency biologists this summer, including the first evidence of Northern Snakehead reproduction in the reservoir.

Plans towards developing a comprehensive strategy that will enable Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to deal more proactively and effectively with invasive species have advanced significantly. This milestone has been achieved through a recently concluded workshop co-organised by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and CABI, with support from the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC).

People ship and receive packages using express courier companies—like FedEx, UPS, DHL, and others—all the time. But when the package includes an agricultural item, things could get dangerous for U.S agriculture and natural resources.

“You should know what could be hitchhiking in or on those items—invasive plant and animal diseases and pests,” said Dr. Mark Davidson, Deputy Administrator of USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine. “Once these threats enter our country, they could harm our crops, livestock, and ecosystems. Left unchecked, they could devastate entire agricultural industries, eliminating jobs, threatening our food supply, and costing billions of dollars in losses and response costs.”

It is now illegal to sell, grow, or plant Callery pear (also known as Bradford pear) in Ohio because of its invasive qualities and likelihood to cause economic or environmental harm. There is no requirement for the removal of existing plants, but the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry encourages control and removal to benefit native forest ecosystems.

This resolution addresses invasive species management and adds substantial new policy, including: a call to address the destructive relationship between invasive grasses and wildfires; mechanisms to enhance regional invasive species research, planning, and coordination; and recommendations to Congress and federal agencies on improving invasive species management on federal lands and supporting state-led management efforts.

WGA resolutions are in effect for three years and then expire or are renewed. See all current WGA Policy Resolutions.

This policy resolution addresses the management of forest and rangelands in coordination with federal agencies and addresses issues including wildland fire, invasive spaces, and collaborative efforts.

WGA resolutions are in effect for three years and then expire or are renewed. See all current WGA Policy Resolutions.

National Pollinator Week (June 17-23, 2024) is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them. In 2007, the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. 

Pollinator Week 2024 is a celebration of the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, economies, and agriculture. Under the inspiring theme "Vision 2040: Thriving ecosystems, economies, and agriculture," this year's event urges us to envision a future where pollinators not only survive but thrive. These essential creatures, including bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles, and hummingbirds, are the unsung heroes behind the food we enjoy and the beauty that surrounds us.
See also: USDA Recognizes National Pollinator Week (Jun 17, 2024)

A cargo ship was ordered to leave the U.S. waters after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Port of New Orleans discovered invasive insects found in the wood used to secure its previous cargo offloaded earlier in Mexico.

The wood used to pack the aluminum shipment was found to be infested with five separate pests, two of which required action. Two of the pests discovered pose an agricultural threat to the U.S. They were positively identified by USDA entomologists as Cerambyciae and Myrmicinae.