Rivanna Chapter

Virginia Master Naturalists

 

Serving the
Central Piedmont of Virginia


Useful Websites for the Study of Trees


5. Invasive Trees

  1. National Invasive Species Information Center
    A USDA site with legal definitions and guidance for responses to invasive species, as well as profiles for a variety of invasive plants. It has a “Plants Custom Search Engine” to search for invasive species information. Links to economic impacts, educational resources, image galleries, and management, as well as numerous government publications, many excellent.

  2. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
    Created by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this is a well-designed site with explanations of the history of each plant’s introduction, its distribution, the ecological threat it poses, and a description of the plant and its biology. Text accompanied by clear and colorful photographs.
    Click on the photo of the book title on the left of the home page to get to the index, and then click on the name of the desired plant to go to a page devoted to that species. Plants are grouped under “Aquatic Plants,” “Herbaceous Plants,” “Shrubs,” “Trees,” and “Vines.”

  3. Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States: Identification and Control
    This website does an excellent job of describing itself, so the simplest approach is simply to quote it:
    “Drawing on recent publications by the USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS PPQ and the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council, this web site covers identification characteristics, distribution, and control options for 97 tree, shrub, vine, grass, fern, forb, and aquatic plant species that are invading the eastern United States. For each species, a menu of control options is presented, including mechanical treatments, specific herbicide prescriptions, and, for selected species, recent advances in biological control. “While this is not an official list of ‘invasive’ plants throughout the eastern United States, it includes Federal Noxious Weeds and those listed by State regulatory agencies, pest plant councils and other organizations. Some of the plants on this list are often found in ornamental plantings and landscapes. In fact, many non-native plants introduced for horticultural and agricultural use now pose a serious ecological threat in the absence of their natural predators and control agents. This publication will aid landowners, foresters, resource managers, and the general public in becoming familiar with invasive plants in their area to help protect our environment from the economic and ecological impacts of these biological pollutants.”
    Following the introduction is a list of invaders, with both their common and their scientific names, divided into categories--aquatic forbs, ferns, forbs, grass/grasslike, shrubs, and trees. Clicking on the name of a plant takes you to a number of photos of the plant, as well as a link to the USDA NRCS Plant Guide page for the species, and a distribution map.

  4. Invasive Alien Plant Species of Virginia
    Part of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation website, this site explains what invasive alien plant species are and why they are a problem. It provides species fact sheets for thirty of the species, but only a handful of those are trees or large shrubs (Autumn Olive, Russian Olive, Tree-of-Heaven, Winged Burning Bush).

  5. Forestry Images
    A fabulous site for the visual learner, created as a joint project of The Bugwood Network and USDA Forest Service, and the University of Georgia - Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources - College of Agricultural and and Environmental Science - Dept. of Entomology. Contains sections on trees and plants, silviculture, invasive species, forest pests, wildlife, and more, with thousands of photos in each image category.
    Each section mentioned has a home page with a drop-down menu. The section on forest pests, for example, has sub-sections on insects, diseases, and other damage agents. The sub-sections are themselves subdivided, so that under “Insects” you find bark beetles, foliage feeding, wood boring, and invasive. Clicking on any item in the menu leads you to a treasure-trove of photographs on every element of the item, most taken by Forest Service personnel. An enormous resource, with over 75,000 photos in the collection.