Invasive species have been characterized as a “catastrophic wildfire in slow motion.” Thousands of non-native invasive plants, insects, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, pathogens, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have infested hundreds of millions of acres of land and water across the Nation, causing massive disruptions in ecosystem function, reducing biodiversity, and degrading ecosystem health in our Nation’s forests, prairies, mountains, wetlands, rivers, and oceans. Invasive organisms affect the health of not only the Nation’s forests and rangelands but also of wildlife, livestock, fish, and humans.
A species is considered invasive if it meets these two criteria:
- It is nonnative to the ecosystem under consideration, and
- Its introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
This definition is derived from Executive Order 13112 issued on February 3, 1999.
- UNH Cooperative Extension
- UNH Cooperative Extension provides many resources including help with invasive species identification and suggestions for landscaping alternatives for invasive plants.
- The US Forest Service
- The US Forest Service is an excellent source of information about invasive species including Species Profiles of insects, diseases, and plants which are invasive. The Forest Service also conducts research and provides strategies for pest specific control and management of invasives.
- Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
- The University of Georgia provides a clearing house for information about invasive species.