FAQ

• A species that is introduced to an area outside of its natural range that grows densely and excludes other species over large areas.
• Includes all taxa- plants, birds, insects, pathogens, etc.
• Invasive species are especially tolerant of human disturbances, are generally free of natural enemies, and produce lots of offspring, which gives them the ability to thrive and spread into new lands.

• Accidental introductions- mile-a-minute vine, insects (packing crates), aquatics (bilge water)
• Landscaping- Chinese silver grass, wisteria, flowering pear
• Intentional Introductions – autumn olive planted for erosion control, kudzu planted as forage and erosion control

• Late 1990’s: Cornell research cites $120-$140 billion a year to US for crop losses, control costs and treating diseases (doesn’t include loss of biodiversity).

• Aggressive growth + no natural enemies= large impacts on native species
• 40-50% of threatened/endangered species are impacted directly by invasive species
• Invasive plants suppress native plants à native animals are then impacted
• Invasive insects destroy native plants à native animals are then impacted
• Invasive mammals, reptiles, fish interrupt the food web
• Invasives are considered 2nd greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. We do not know the full extent of what this means for our planet or human beings.

• Steady flow of new species
• Intense fragmentation of habitat- creates disturbance and light gaps where invasive species thrive
• Heavy pressure of white tailed deer on native species that might compete with invasive species

• Deer are native to NJ and they prefer to browse native plants
• Too many deer = too much browsing of native plants and few able to grow to maturity
• Too much browsing on natives + Little browsing on invasives = invasives taking over

• ~1,000 non-native plants documented in NJ.  Most are considered non-invasive at this point.
• Emerging (90 species) vs. widespread (30 species)
• Widespread examples= Garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, autumn olive, multifora rose, Japanese barberry
• Emerging examples= Yellow iris, English ivy, Siebold’s viburnum, kudzu, porcelainberry, wisteria, butterfly bush

• Widespread” is common and dense across the majority of the state. Full eradication is not possible.
• “Emerging” may be locally common but not common statewide. Not found often. Eradication or containment is possible.
• Strike Team only collects data on emerging invasive species.

• Assist public and private landowners with invasive species identification and eradication.
• Collect and analyze data on invasive species throughout the state (submit through smartphone app, website or email)
• Network with local, state, regional and national stakeholders to coordinate education and eradication efforts.
• Encourage voluntary restrictions on the planting of invasive landscape plants.

• Understand that plants don’t know boundaries.  They may seemingly behave on your own property while quietly invading a nearby forest.
• Stop planting invasives.  Remove invasives.  Choose natives.  Educate your nursery.
• Support ordinances and eventually statewide bans.
• Become a Strike Team member!

• Pull or dig and watch area carefully for resprouting.
• Mulch heavily or cover with weed fabric.
• See the fact sheet for each species of invasive plant for specific suggestions.

• Read the label. Look for the name of the active ingredient and its percentage.
• Most herbicides must be mixed with water- read the directions for specific mixing directions.
• Follow the label for application!
• Example- Roundup has an active ingredient “glyphosate” at 53%. It has a surfactant included in “other ingredients” that is not suitable for use near water.
• For help interpreting a label, contact info@fohvos.org for more information on this.

• Native species!
• Common shrubs = spicebush, witch-hazel, viburnum
• Common trees = oak, hickory, maple
• Insects are very specific feeders and will rarely be able to eat invasive plants. They are the base of the food chain. Fewer insects = lower wildlife diversity.

• Invasives species are ‘dropped’ into new locations by humans and only partially fit into the ecosystem (e.g., may make fruit eaten by native birds, but have leaves not eaten by native insects).
• Native species naturally coevolve with each other over time.

• Bamboo doesn’t spread through seed and only slowly spreads by rhizomes into natural areas (unlike Phragmites or knotweed, it doesn’t seem to spread by root fragments, so you don’t find it ‘spontaneously’ growing away from plantings).  If it were immediately adjacent to a natural area, it probably should be kept from creeping, but it doesn’t seem to be a major threat — bamboo plants seem to stop at the forest edge. Here is an excellent resource from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station about how to control bamboo.
• Pachysandra and vinca creep a little better than bamboo from plantings in the forest (presumably because they are more shade tolerant), but still not a very serious problem.  They are good indicators of former homesteads.
• These plants are good examples “invasive in the garden” but not in natural areas.

NOTE: These plants were chosen because of their high shade tolerance making shading out by native plants difficult.

• Siebold’s viburnum, Viburnum sieboldii
• linden viburnum, Viburnum dilatatum
• Japanese aralia, Aralia elata
• Oriental photinia, Photinia villosa
• Common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica

• Please consult the Strike Team’s Do NOT Plant list, sorted by common name or scientific name, for a full list of all the invasive plants in New Jersey. For quick reference, below are 10 of the most common invasive plants used in the landscape. (W = widespread invasive, E = emerging invasive)
• Callery pear (E)
• wisteria (E)
• English ivy (E)
• Chinese silver grass (E)
• wintercreeper (E)
• butterfly bush (E)
• Japanese maple (E)
• burning bush (W)
• Japanese barberry (W)
• Norway maple (W)