{"id":1706,"date":"2010-09-01T10:54:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-01T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=1706"},"modified":"2024-09-19T14:59:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T18:59:18","slug":"invasive-plant-species-the-spoilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/invasive-plant-species-the-spoilers\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive Plant Species: The Spoilers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
A battle cry is being sounded to combat a serious ecological threat to the state’s biodiversity \u2014 invasive plants. Unchecked, invasive plants threaten crops and timberland, as well as open land and water resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s estimated that control costs and losses due to invasive plants in the United States approach $50 billion a year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Invasive plants are non-native or exotic plants that aggressively spread and displace native plants \u2014 significantly altering habitats and ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early detection and rapid response are key components of a strategy to neutralize the enemy, says Randy Westbrooks, invasive species specialist with USGS Coastal Plain Invasive Species Project Office in Whiteville. Westbrooks is helping to spearhead a multifront assault on the establishment or spread of invasive plants across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We want to tap into networks already out there \u2014 from professional land managers and park rangers to amateur volunteer naturalists \u2014 and ask them to multitask,” Westbrooks says. In other words, while they are walking trails or paddling canoes, they also could be looking for invasive plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n