Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse
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Arizona Wildland Invasive Plant Working Group
The Arizona Wildland Invasive Plant Working Group (AZ-WIPWG) began meeting in March 2003 to assess non-native plants that occur in and are potentially detrimental to Arizona's wildlands. Representatives from over 20 federal, state, and local organizations, with experience in invasive species biology, plant ecology, or a related field of interest participated in this statewide effort. AZ-WIPWG evaluated 75 species. The findings of AZ-WIPWG are summarized in Development of a Categorized List of Invasive Non-Native Plants That Threaten Wildlands in Arizona: Final Report of the Arizona Wildlands Invasive Plant Working Group.
- AZ-WIPWG responsibilities included:
- Proposed plants for review consideration
- Identified knowledgeable individuals to prepare the plant evaluation
- Reviewed the individual plant assessments and made recommendations and suggestions for completing the evaluations
- Considered the supporting information and documentation
- Identified the appropriate score for each assessment
- Assisted in raising awareness of invasive plant issues
- Ensured consistency throughout the process
Individuals volunteered their time and shared their invasive plant knowledge and experience. For each plant,a designated evaluator(s) compiled the available information and conducted a preliminary assessment using the Criteria. At each meeting, evaluators presented the plant evaluations for review.
The work group assigned provisional scores and documentation levels for each question for the plant. The project leader (Dr. John Hall) edited all assessments and provided quality assurance of all provisional scores and documentation levels. The final scores and documentation levels were adjusted for consistency with scoring criteria. In all cases, the final rank and section scores for each assessment did not change from the provisional rank and section scores.
Please contact Kathryn Thomas regarding any questions.
