Environmental and Conservation Seed

Bureau of Land Management – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency with the mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

USDA-National Natural Resources Conservation Service – Originally established by Congress in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), NRCS has expanded to become a conservation leader for all natural resources, ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges, like climate change.

National Forest Service – Established in 1905, the Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service manages public lands in national forests and grasslands.

National Association of Conservation Districts – The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards.

Society for Range Management – SRM is the professional society dedicated to supporting persons who work with rangelands and have a commitment to their sustainable use.

• What are invasive species?
• To what extent do invasive species threaten ecosystems?
• Which invasive species are the greatest threat to agriculture?
• How are invasive species introduced?
• Who oversees the introduction and spread invasive species?
• How are invasive species determined?
• Are all invasive species harmful?
• What is ASTA’s position on invasive species?
• What is ASTA doing to protect beneficial “invasive” plants?

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What are invasive species?

The U.S. government defines invasive species as an “alien species including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species which is not native to an ecosystem whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” This includes plants, animals, and microbes. Because invasive species are often introduced to a new region without their native predators, they can be difficult to control. Left unchecked, many invasive species have the potential to transform entire ecosystems as they out-compete native species for available resources and reproduce abundantly. Well-known examples are zebra mussels and Asian long-horned beetles, which clog water intake pipes and kill native trees, respectively.

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To what extent do invasive species threaten ecosystems?

Beyond destruction of natural habitats, invasive species pose the greatest threat to the survival of native plants in the United States and many other areas of the world. Federal officials estimate that the total costs of invasive species in the United States are about $125 billion per year. Invasive plants and weeds alone are spreading on federal lands at a rate of 4,600 acres per day. For example, purple loosestrife, a highly aggressive plant invader of wetlands, can produce up to 2.7 million seeds per plant yearly, and spreads across approximately 480,000 additional hectares of wetlands each year. Moreover, nearly half of the species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act are at risk due to competition with or predation by non-native species.

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Which invasive species are the greatest threat to agriculture?

Noxious weeds are particularly problematic to the agricultural sector in the United States. They directly threaten agricultural production on both farmland and grazing lands. Noxious aquatic weeds are also a prominent nuisance that interfere with productive and recreational uses of lakes and waterways. Annual estimated damage from noxious weeds ranges from $100 billion to $300 billion. Infestation can be measured at over 100 million acres. Noxious weeds have also been identified in some circles as the second most severe threat to endangered species.

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How are invasive species introduced?

Humans are the primary agents of dispersal of invasive species, both by accidental and deliberate introductions. This fact emphasizes the need for strict enforcement of customs laws regarding transportation of foreign plants and animals.

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Who oversees the introduction and spread invasive species?

The U.S. Department of the Interior is the primary government agency working to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive plants and aquatic species in this country. Bureaus within the department, including the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey, have been working to eradicate invasive species on federal lands and partnering with state and local organizations to restore ecosystems with native plants and species. In addition, a federal Invasive Species Council was formed in 1999, mandated by President Clinton’s Executive Order 13112 on Invasive Species. This council is an inter-agency, executive committee that is coordinating efforts to minimize the economic, ecological, and human impacts of invasive plant and animal species in the United States. Finally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees customs inspections at U.S. borders to try to keep foreign plants and animals out of the country.

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How are invasive species determined?

In order to be classified as an invasive species, an alien species must meet the criterion of causing or being likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Thus, before any plant can be identified as invasive and placed on a federal or state list, the Invasive Species Council should complete a risk assessment that identifies the ecosystem in need of protection and the economic impact that the potentially invasive species might have on that system. Failure to undertake this critical cost/benefit analysis will threaten the future availability of commercially useful species for farms, lawns, athletic fields, and conservation areas. The harm the species is likely to cause should outweigh the economic and related losses that would be incurred by the seed industry and the public in general should an existing agricultural crop, turf, conservation, or ornamental be considered invasive.

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Are all invasive species harmful?

No, in fact, many plants classified by states as “invasive” are mainstays of forage production for livestock feed, soil conservation and stabilization materials, and widely used turf producing cultivates. Examples of these economically indispensable crops include bahiagrass, barley, bermudagrass, birdsfoot trefoil, castor bean, colonial bentgrass, crownvetch, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, red fescue, redtop, reed canarygrass, ryegrass, smooth bromegrass, sheep fescue, tall fescue, timothy, white clover, weeping lovegrass and yellow sweet clover. Such plants should not be precluded for use in every situation or application. Rather, there should be considerable thought and discussion in assembling data that considers economic impacts and seed availability.

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What is ASTA’s position on invasive species?

ASTA has long recognized the need to identify, monitor and, when necessary, control or eradicate plants that adversely affect the environment, production agriculture, conservation efforts, or cause harm to the economy or human health. In many instances, an invasive species is a harmful species. ASTA will continue to support the efforts of the federal government, Invasive Species Council and interested state agencies to protect the U.S. agricultural industry from such species. However, some plants are being inappropriately listed as invasive species by state or federal agencies. Such measures could significantly reduce the distribution and use of many beneficial plants that have long been used in production agriculture for forage and livestock feed, soil conservation and stabilization, and ornamental purposes.

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What is ASTA doing to protect beneficial “invasive” plants?

ASTA is working hard to assemble scientific data and to provide expert information at various national and state meetings and forums. While some states continue to develop lists of prohibited species for use in land reclamation projects, highway beautification projects and other uses, ASTA believes that such activities are lacking coordination and proper input from affected parties, such as the seed industry. As a result, ASTA formed an invasive species committee of interested seed professionals to help provide science- and risk-based analyses to state and federal authorities to better determine which so-called invasive plants have real potential to cause harm to the economy, environment, or human health.