News Feature                                                            9/16/2008

NRCS Combats Invasive Species

An invasive plant is one that is found in a location where it does not naturally occur, and is very likely to cause economic or environmental harm. For the past several years, NRCS has been helping landowners to monitor and control these plants on non-cropland in Minnesota.  A payment is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to landowners who develop a management plan and implement an action to control an invasive plant species.  NRCS has developed a management plan job sheet to be used for this purpose.

 As of September, 2008, a total of $87,532 was paid to 28 contracts on 1,844 acres in Minnesota.  There are a total of 185 contracts that plan to control invasive plant species in future years on 7,396 acres for a total obligation of $349,912.  The most common species being controlled are common and glossy buckthorn, garlic mustard and Canada thistle.  Job sheets are available with information on how to control fourteen of the most problematic species found in MN. 

Technical assistance is also available from the NRCS Plant Materials Centers, who are developing native plants for a variety of conservation uses to combat and replace invasive plant species.  Additional information about the biology, management and control of invasive plants will be available at the Minnesota Invasive Species Conference, being held October 26-29, 2008 in Duluth, Minnesota.  Complete information about and registration information for this conference is available on the web at: http://www.minnesotaswcs.org/Invasives.htm

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