Invasive Species Partnership Opportunities with SAIN
Better control and management of invasive species problems is a regional conservation priority. SAIN recruits and works with regional partners sharing common goals of:
Continued development of invasive species models
Prediction of invasive species' spread
Early detection and rapid response to new invasions
These shared goals are central to the effective management of plant and animal invasions.
SAIN partners with nongovernmetnal organizations, private enterprise, federal and state agencies, institutions of higher learning, and others. These valuable partners share a stake in the effective control of invasive species.
For partnership opportunities, navigate to "About the Node" from the main navigation menu and make an inquiry using the "Contact Us" entry form.
Invasive Species of the Southern Appalachians
This section of the NBII-SAIN website provides maps, databases, and downloadable computer mapping data (GIS data) pertaining to invasive plants in the Southeastern United States.
Each year, numerous plant and animal species disperse from their natural range to new locations around the world. Many of these non-native, exotic species colonize the Southeast and become invasive, displacing native plant and animal ecological communities. The consequences of these invasions may be localized or widespread and impacts can range from minor to severe. Invasive species compete with native species, alter ecosystems, and may bring disease not only to native flora and fauna but to humans as well.
Access to current information on invasive species is critical to successful management, mitigation, and prevention of the consequences of exotic plant and animal invasions. For more information on invasive species at the national level, please refer to the NBII Invasive Species Node.
Below are additional resources and information from the NBII Catalog pertaining to invasive species in the Southeastern United States.
Invasive Species Blog from the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
UGA Cooperative Extension Releases Native Plant Publication
Cooperative Extension and the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia are pleased to announce the release of a new publication entitled Native Plants for Georgia, Part I: Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines. The publication is the result of a two year collaboration with members of the Georgia Native Plant Society, Master Gardeners, naturalists, foresters, and botanists from many professions. It includes descriptions and photos of 66 native trees, 57 native shrubs and 5 native woody vines. The purpose of the publication is to describe native plants available in the nursery trade as well as those native plants that have potential for nursery production and landscape use. Rare or endangered species are not described. The 164-page publication includes over 400 color photographs and is available in a printer-friendly version for downloading at the following web site:
Eric Comley, graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University has published the first discovery of the Chinese tallowtree (Sapium sebiferum). Chinese tallowtree was "introduced by Benjamin Franklin and promoted by the U.S. Forest Service for soap potential and later as an ornamental due to the tree’s beautiful fall color." It was first introduced into South Carolina in the 1700s. The plant discovered by Mr. Comley was eradicated so that the spread of the species is limited.
Eric's discovery was published in the June 2008 edition of the journal Castanea.
Interesting article on the start of the red imported fire ant invasion in the United States here.
( Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:32:00 -0400 )
Forest Inventory Analysis
U.S. Forest Service: Three-Year Alien Invasive Evaluation & Monitoring Project in Southern Appalachian National Forests.
The USDA Forest Service's National Forest Health Monitoring Program released first-year results of a three-year invasive species study monitoring forests within Southern Appalachian mountains (view report) in 2007. The study's primary purpose is to "assess the circumstances and conditions of alien plant invasions in Southern Appalachian National Forests so they might be predicted and managed more effectively."
