"Update on the Invasive Plant Issue"
by Cindy Gilberg

Cindy Gilberg was invited to be part of the international workshop "Linking Ecology and Horticulture to Prevent Plant Invasions" hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, MO Dec 1-4, 2001. As Central Region Director and the chair for the Environmental Committee of the Perennial Plant Association, Cindy then submitted the following article to the PPA News Volume 6 December 2002 Number 2 (this is the newletter for the Perennial Plant Association):

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Many of us in the nursery trade are becoming more aware of existing and potential invasive plant issues and how they can impact us financially. These issues are or could be directed not only at some of our existing plants in the industry but also at new plants as discover, grow and promote them. The most effective way to face the questions surrounding invasive plants is to be informed and proactive.

 

To bring our PPA members up to date, there is a national effort in progress that is addressing all aspects of the invasive plant issues and it involves all interested horicultural and botanical groups. This is made up of representatives from USDA, the nursery industry, botanic gardens and arboreta, Garden Clubs of America, landscape designers and architects, the Garden Writers Association and concerned botanists and educators. A selected group of representatives from each of these facets met in St. Louis, MO in December 2001 to commence an open dialog titled "Linking Ecology and Horticulture to Prevent Plant Invasions". The nursery trade group appointed Craig Regelbrugge (Sr. Director of Government Relations with the American Nursery & Landscape Association) as the 'chair'. For more information, refer to the following articles that appeared in the previous Perennial Plants PPA Quarterly: Winter 2002 "The Workshop on Linking Ecology and Hortiiculture to Prevent Olkant Invasions" and Summer 2002 "Conference Creates NMursery Codes of Conduct Regarding Invasive Species", both by Pierre Bennerup.

 

On October 31, 2002 the Chicago Botanic Garden hosted a one-day "one year later" meeting with the same group of representatives as a follow-up to the December 2001 conference.

 

One of the main purposes of this follow-up meeting was to review progress made on implementing the Voluntary Codes of Conduct. Craig Regelbrugge reported that "We (the industry reps) strongly believe that the Codes of Conduct provide a useful and proactive framework for organizing industry response activities on the invasive plant issue. We urge each of you and your respective organizations to review and consider endorsing the Codes. To date we know of five industry organizations that have endorsed the codes. Many others are currently reviewing the Codes. Other issues that were also points of discussion are 1) how to deal with the regional considerations of a plant's "invasiveness" and 2) criteria for identifying and promoting plants that could be recommended to consumers as suitable substitutes for those plants that are deemed invasive.

 

The result of these discussions and others will provided our industry with effective "response" activities to put into action when faced with any particular invasive plant issue. One such effort to address concerns regarding new plant introductions is that ANLA is exploring ways to develop a national voluntary assessment tool that individual companies introducing new plants could use. This is part of an effort to take action before more harmful action is dictated by government.

 

If this issue hasn't arisen in your backyard yet, get ready. Remain aware and informed on these issues. Make sure the nursery industry is represented if a state or regional "invasive species council" or similar group forms.

 

My thanks to Craig Regelbrugge (ANLA) and Pierre Bennerup (Sunny Border Nurseries) for their input for this article.