Controlling Invasive Species in New England Andrew Lind

          Invasive species are everywhere in New England, in part, because of the large shipping business that has been thriving here for a long time. Invasive species from distant places get on these ships in many ways and they end up in New England where they destroy native ecosystems. Native trees are being hit the hardest by these invasive species because they can compete for sunlight or water or other resources and weaken or kill forests. Invasive species have a large impact on the deforestation going on in New England, yet there are a number of effective ways to stop these species from spreading.

            The easiest and simplest way to get rid of these invasive species is try to catch them early when just starting to spread. Early detection helps to prevent any further spread of the species and it limits an invasive species chances of destroying the environment. Ways to improve the detection of these species is by getting a deeper knowledge of the invasive species, knowing which plants are bad and which ones are not a problem when introduced. Also anther method of early detection is simply not to import or plant them. When landscaping a property only using native plants, instead of giving the invasive plants a chance to spread throughout the area, is advised. A new way for scientists to find and eliminate these invasive species early is because of recent help provided by NASA, who has decided to help by allowing scientists access to the databases on these species and  the extent of their range.

If they can not be controlled, even after early detection, then one way to deal with invasive species is to try to manage them. Management means not to let them spread outside the already infected region and to try to keep them under control in the infected area. If there are plants that are only native in that area, try to replant them somewhere else or the invasive species will end up overtaking the environment and destroy this native plant or tree, just like the American Chestnut was almost completely wiped out by a blight. Another way to manage invasive species is once some of these invasive species have been removed, replant native species so it discourages these invasive species from coming back in these areas.  

            To prevent the invasive species from spreading is to not plant monocultures. If a monoculture is planted and an invasive starts spreading it could out compete the entire forest. If there is a variety of plants and trees then the chances are more likely that at least a few types of trees will survive and these trees can be used to prevent further invasion of the area.

            Groups are trying to get legislations passed so that ships will be checked before they leave port if they are carrying any invasive species. By doing this it will reduce the number of invasive species drastically because most invasive species come over on boats unnoticed in ballasts, on the bottom of the boat or in the product being imported. Invasive species are not limited to plants and the damage the invasive species cause in the United States, along with the price tag of efforts to curtail them, costs American taxpayers billions of dollars annually.

            As the invasive species become more and more dominant in an area, extreme measures start to be used to keep them out of the surrounding areas. One way of getting rid of the invasive species is to burn part of the infected area. If the invasive is not fire resilient, it then gives a chance for native plants, which may be fire tolerant because they evolved to endure fire set by Native Americans to manage landscapes in the past, to become the dominant plants again.  Another way is to use systemic herbicides to get rid of the invasive species as a last resort.

            Invasive species are spreading in large numbers in New England forests and must be stopped to preserve the natural ecosystem. Ways to stop these species ranges from spying on them with NASA satellites to burning the areas where the species can be found. Invasive species are a critical factor in the degradation and destruction of the forests of New England and must be challenged as part of any campaign to challenge deforestation.

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