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Climate change to bring invasive plants to the eastern U.S.
The plants could be ecologically and economically harmful
Climate change will usher in more invasive plants to the much of the eastern United States, according to a recent weed management study. That’s not just bad news for gardeners. The study finds it will harm ecological communities and have socioeconomic impacts.
“In some regions, hundreds of new, potentially invasive species could establish in coming decades,” wrote researchers in Invasive Plant Science and Management.
The study looked particularly at mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. It assessed the risk posed by 104 invasive plants expected to establish themselves in the region, including 46 that could impact agriculture, the economy and human health.
Assessing these risks could help “mitigate the greatest amount of potential damage,” researchers found.
Read the report from the Weed Science Society of America here.
Header Image: Climate change is expected to bring invasive plants like Athel tamarisk to mid-Atlantic states. Credit: Chris English
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