INVASIVE PLANTS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES: IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL CD-ROM AND WEB SITE. Charles T. Bargeron¹, David J. Moorhead¹, G. Keith Douce¹, Richard C. Reardon², and Arthur E. Miller³, ¹The Bugwood Network, The University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793. ²USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Morgantown, WV 26505. ³Retired, Arden, NC 28704. (cbargero@uga.edu)

ABSTRACT

Drawing on recent publications by the USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS PPQ and the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council, this web site covers identification characteristics, distribution, and control options for 97 tree, shrub, vine, grass, fern, forb and aquatic plant species that are invading the eastern United States. For each species, a menu of control options is presented, including mechanical treatments, specific herbicide prescriptions, and, for selected species, recent advances in biological control.

While this is not an official list of "invasive" plants throughout the eastern United States, it includes Federal Noxious Weeds and those listed by State regulatory agencies, pest plant councils and other organizations. Some of the plants on this list are often found in ornamental plantings and landscapes. In fact, many non-native plants introduced for horticultural and agricultural use now pose a serious ecological threat in the absence of their natural predators and control agents. This publication will aid landowners, foresters, resource managers, and the general public in becoming familiar with invasive plants in their area to help protect our environment from the economic and ecological impacts of these biological pollutants.

Over 13,000 copies of the CD-ROM have been distributed since its release in November of 2003. It is available free of charge from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team and may be requested from www.invasive.org. The full content of the CD is available online at www.invasive.org/eastern/ and has been updated to include links to external web sites.