Northern Great Lakes Conference on Invasives A United Front Against Invasive Species

How Far We’ve Come …

… on the Battle Against Invasives

Jan Schultz - FS Eastern Region

Program Leader – Botany, Non –native Invasive Species & Special Forest Products

USFS Eastern Region

Queen Ann's Lace / Daucus carota

My NNIS Recollections …

• Early 1990s – NPM Seed Transfer Zones/ Provenance types recognized/ implemented.

• 1998 – Wildland Weed Management – Best on the Ground Management Proposal -> Clear Lake Camp Workshop / Hiawatha NF & more NNIS workshops followed.

• Midwest Invasive Plant Network est. early 2000s.

• 2009 GLRI funding initiated thru 2014 (? XX)

Cooperative Weed Management Areas Northeast & Midwest

http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/cwma/

87 CWMAs; ~ 20 states.

WI/ 10; MI/14; MN/23 = 54%

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative FS Eastern Region Forests

• Chequamegon Nicolet – N. WI

• Hiawatha NF – E. UP MI

• Huron Manistee – N. LP MI

• Midewin Tallgrass Prairie – N. IL

• Ottawa – W. UP MI

• Superior – N. MN

GLRI CWMAs-> 5 Lakes & 8 States USFS/ NFs & State & Private; NPS; USFWS …

• IL – Lake Michigan: USFS

• IN – Lake Michigan: NPS

• OH – Lake Erie: USFWS

• MI – Lkes Erie, Michigan, Superior: FS 2 Branches

• MN – Lake Superior: USFS

• NY – Lake Ontario: USFS /S&P

• PA – Lake Erie: USFW

• WI – Lakes Michigan & Superior: FS 2 Branches

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/

Chequamegon Nicolet NF

• CWMAs – Northwoods; Upper Chippewa Invasive Species Cooperative; Wild Rivers Invasive Species Coalition; WI Headwaters Invasives Partnership; Timberlands Invasives Partnership. 100% coverage.

• Portable Boat Washing Station operated.

• Surveyed & mapped NNIS plants on 500 road miles.

• 2 gravel pits treated.

• Outreach programs

• 2 new NNIS plants documented –> EDRR

Ottawa NF – NNIS Overview

• Partners: 2 Conservation Districts; Friends of Sylvania Wilderness; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community ; Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve; Lake Associations; Youth Conservation Corps …

• Survey , map & treat Wilderness Area • Biocontrol insects (knapweed & loosestrife)raised &

released • 100% CWMA coverage; 2 CWMAs • Survey 22 lakes for aquatic invasives • 4 portable boat washers & signs placed @ launches

Hiawatha NF – NNIS Overview

• CWMAs: Eastern UP & Central UP. 100% coverage

• Partners: Grand Island Assoc; Youth Conservation Corps …

• Boat cleaning station installed @ Grand Island

• Biocontrol for knapweed.

• NNIS removed from rare plant sites

• NNIS control in gravel pits

• Mapping & inventory in 3 Wilderness Areas

Huron Manistee NF

• CWMAs: Northwest MI ; Huron Pines/ Northeast MI

• Partners: Consumers Energy; Michigan Garden Club; North Country Trail Assoc; Stewardship Network…

• Controlled: garlic mustard; Japanese barberry; exotic honeysuckles; oriental bittersweet; knapweed; Phragmites; purple loosestrife; Eurasian water milfoil

• Priority control areas -> rare plant & animal habitat.

Non-native Invasive Species

Best Management Practices

Guidance for the USDA

US Forest Service - Eastern Region.

http://council.wisconsinforestry.org/invasives/

Invasive Species Best Management Practices

Invasive exotic species present perhaps the greatest threat to the long-term health & sustainability of WI forests. Human activities such as trading of goods, travel, gardening, & recreation have resulted in the introduction of many non-native species. The Council created the Forestry Invasives Leadership Team to develop voluntary BMPs: •Forestry BMP's •Recreational Forest User BMPs •Urban Forestry BMPs •Transportation and Utility Rights-of-way BMPs

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

• Forestry BMPs for Invasive Species. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/bmp.html

• BMPs for Preventing the Spread of Invasive Species by Outdoor Recreation Activities in Wisconsin. http://council.wisconsinforestry.org/invasives/recreation.php

• Urban Forestry BMPs for Preventing the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species. http://council.wisconsinforestry.org/invasives/urban/

• Transportation and Utility Rights-of-way BMPs for Preventing the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species. http://council.wisconsinforestry.org/invasives/transportation/

Why do we care – what is at stake? … a few things to consider - >

• Invasive species control looms very large in the context of climate change … & how humans “get ready” … saving the parts to allow for ecosystem/ community recalibration

• Invasive species control also is important relative to the preservation of ecosystem services such as pollination.

• … & also food security relative to the preservation of Wild Crop Relatives

WILD CROP RELATIVES/ WCR

Genetic diversity in a food crop includes species that are closely related/ wild relatives. WCR can potentially donate genes in breeding and improvement programs. Also , traditional varieties constitute “within – species” diversity. These genetic resources provide the biological basis for food security, and directly or indirectly support the livelihoods of every person on earth.

Global Crop Diversity Trust – A Foundation for Food Security

Objective II – Plant diversity is urgently & effectively conserved.

• Target 9: 70% of genetic diversity of crops including their wild relatives & other socio-economically valuable plant species conserved, while respecting, preserving & maintaining associated indigenous & local knowledge.

• Eastern Region harbors 170 of the 300 Priority 1A species for conservation -> cranberries , blueberries, sunflowers, raspberries, strawberries , cherries …

… this is bigger than any of us …