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The next TN-EPPC Board Meeting will be Friday, Mar. 2, 2012, in Crossville, TN.
News
TN-EPPC received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils at the Natural Areas Conference in Tallahassee, FL, on Nov. 3, 2011. It was the third annual award presented by NAEPPC to an EPPC organization for extraordinary service in furthering the goals of NAEPPC. TN-EPPC was the fourth EPPC to form (in 1994), was one of the four founding NAEPPC organizations, and provided framework and support for the formation of SE-EPPC in 1999. Florida EPPC and California IPC were the award’s first two recipients.
The US Forest Service has just published a “national-level direction on the management of invasive species across aquatic and terrestrial areas of the National Forest System.” According to US Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, “Invasive species cost the American public an estimated $138 billion each year. They deplete water supplies, destroy recreation opportunities and damage landscapes across the country. We are taking this bold approach to better protect our nation’s forest and water resources from the threat of invasive species.” The Forest Service has had an invasive species program, but this policy “adds new requirements for agency-wide integration of invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, restoration, and collaborative activities across all National Forest System lands.” This will allow them to “more effectively manage invasive species in the context of environmental issues such as adaptation to climate change, increasing wildfire risk, watershed restoration, fragmentation of habitats, loss of biodiversity, and human health concerns,” says USDA Undersecretary Harris Sherman. Download the new Forest Service Invasive Species Management Policy.
TN-EPPC is assembling a list of potentially invasive nonnative plants not currently recognized in Tennessee. We encourage people to report any sightings of Elaeagnus multiflora, Ficaria verna, and Youngia japonica to EDDMapS. These species will be examined for addition to TN-EPPC’s Invasive Exotic Pest Plant List at the next revision. Contact us with any additional species recommendations for the Potential Invasive Species Watch List on our Initiatives page.
Flood waters can spread invasive species. Plants such as Achyranthes japonica, Japanese chaff flower, could move downstream from its current center of infestation in Kentucky & West Virginia. Mississippi Embayment states, including West Tennessee, are asked to be on alert for occurrences of this plant in bottomland forests and along riparian corridors. Detailed plant information and photos are available by clicking on the plant name in the adjacent Alert box.
James H. Miller’s newly revised book “A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive
Plants in Southern Forests” is now available. The pdf is posted on our Web site at Initiatives, Helpful Links. If you would like a hard copy, please send an email to pubrequest@fs.fed.us and include your name, mailing address, book title, author, and publication number GTR-SRS-119. The companion publication, “A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests,” by Miller, Steven T. Manning and Stephen F. Enloe, is also available through email request. The publication number is GTR-SRS-131. This publication’s pdf is posted on our Initiatives page as well.
Tennessee Naturalist Program’s (TNP) pilot course began last fall at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary. TNP is a 10-class adult course on Tennessee’s natural history. A second session is underway at Owl’s Hill, and other locations are beginning chapters across the state. To learn more contact Margie Hunter.
Download the Wildland Weeds Insert of TN-EPPC’s Revised Plant List
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TN-EPPC Plant List from Wildland Weeds |
Wolf River Conservancy Win’s Restoration Grant
The Wolf River Conservancy was awarded a $28,000 Five Star Restoration Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to improve two urban sites in Memphis, TN. One site is owned by Memphis City Schools and the other is part of the Wolf River Greenway being developed by Memphis parks. Objectives are to clean both sites, remove invasive species (including privet), and replant native vegetation. The sites will become part of an environmental education curriculum and community-based stewardship program. TN-EPPC wrote a letter supporting the grant application and will serve as a project partner to offer advice and expertise in the restoration of these habitats. Wolf River Conservancy
TN-EPPC in Tennessee
Our mission is to improve public awareness of the serious threats invasive pest plants pose to natural areas and provide solutions to manage those threats. TN-EPPC is a chapter member of the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council and the national organization, National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils.
Become a Member of TN-EPPC.
Wildland Weeds Available Online
Wildland Weeds, the official quarterly publication of the Florida and Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Councils and all affiliated chapters, is now available online, including all back issues dating to 1997. Articles cover current research, invasive plant biology, ecology and control methodology, taxonomy, impacts of exotic pest plants, and case studies. Wildland Weeds Library