PLNA Takes Action Against Invasive Plants

The Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association is serious about halting the damage caused by invasive plants in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Ali Anderson

Published April 23, 2003

Freeze.

The attack of invasive plants on the Mid-Atlantic Region is soon to be history – that is, if the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association has anything to say about the matter.

Based in Harrisburg, the association is determined to halt the havoc caused by invasive plants throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. A noticeable upswing in the noxious plants – specifically Mile-a-minute weed and Multiflora rose – has PLNA President Gregg Robertson and crew taking aggressive measures.

“Rather than sticking our heads in sand and trying to ignore it, we’re being very proactive,” Robertson described. “We see these plants as a real threat to our members, and we think we have a lot we can contribute in terms of solution.”

As part of its solution, the association has adopted an Invasive Plant Code of Conduct. The code was developed by the American Nursery and Landscape Association in conjunction with industry representatives and conservation leaders from across the nation. The following items comprise the code:

  • Ensure that invasive potential is assessed prior to introducing and marketing plant species new to North America. Invasive potential should be assessed by the introducer or qualified experts using emerging risk assessment methods that consider plant characteristics and prior observations or experience with the plant elsewhere in the world. Additional insights may be gained through extensive monitoring on the nursery site prior to further distribution.

  • Work with regional experts and stakeholders to determine which species in your region are either currently invasive or will become invasive. Identify plants that could be suitable alternatives in your region.

  • Develop and promote alternative plant material through plant selection and breeding.

  • Where agreement has been reached among nursery associations, government, academia and ecology and conservation organizations, phase-out existing stocks of those specific invasive species in regions where they are considered to be a threat.

  • Follow all laws on importation and quarantine of plant materials across political boundaries.

  • Encourage customers to use, and garden writers to promote, non-invasive plants.

    • PLNA has compiled a list of invasive plants, which should be available online  within the next month. So far, the list totals 25 – with names and descriptions of each, so contractors can avoid applying the pesky plants to their clients’ properties.

    Otherwise, such invasive plants can take over the entire ecosystem of a property, Robertson reminded.

    “These plants get into natural areas and, because they are invasive, they tend to leaf out earlier in the spring,” he explained. “So they compete with native vegetation and can actually crowd out native vegetation.”

    The association is also making plans to create an index of plant invasiveness, which would break down the specifics of each listed plant. The index will also include healthy alternatives to the invasive species, allowing contractors to make wise plant selections to protect their customers’ from invasion. Robertson said arrangements for the index are still under way, but he sees the project being a valuable tool for the near future.

    The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.

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