Species ranges are one attribute that can be altered by climate change.  The geographic limits of where you find a species and where you don’t are determined by the species’ biology, specifically in what climatic conditions can it survive.  For some species, that’s warm and dry climates, for others it’s cool and wet, or one of many combinations of temperature and precipitation.  Where a species’ range margin might contract and where it might expand in the future depend on how the suitable climate moves on a map for any given species.  Knowing where a species can survive is the first step to managing invasion impacts.

The arrival of spiny waterflea is bad news for North American fisheries.

The loss of more than 35,000 trees because of the Asian longhorned beetle was a bitter experience for many area residents. But a pancake breakfast hosted by Vermont foresters and maple sugar industry representatives Tuesday made that loss at least a little bittersweet.

A community of practice, called the Vermont Invasive Exotic Plant Committee (VIEPC), used to maintain an unofficial watch list of plants that are known to be invasive, and may or may not be present yet in Vermont. The watch list was last updated in 2017. 

Ethan Tapper, Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, reflects on his role negotiating the relationship between humans and the forested ecosystems of Chittenden County. In this article, Ethan expresses both his admiration for the resiliency of Vermont's forests and his concern for the impacts of invasive species. 

The Vermont Aquatic Nuisance Control grant-in-aid grants program is now accepting applications for 2017 projects addressing aquatic invasive and nuisance species. The applications are due no later than Wednesday, February 8, 2017.

For the first time, Dreissenid mussels have been documented in a Montana waterbody. Montana had been one of only a handful of states that did not have a confirmed population.

In October 2014, researchers at Wright State University discovered that an invasive insect called the emerald ash borer (EAB) was attacking white fringetrees (Chionanthus virginicus) in addition to ash trees. This was big news at the time. The EAB had already killed tens of millions of ash trees, and the fact that it could harm another species made it even more devastating.

Visitors to Waterbury Reservoir may have encountered something new at the lake this year: a nice young man with a yellow “Public Access Greeter” shirt on. This summer was the inaugural year for a Public Access Greeter Program at Waterbury Reservoir (FWR), which was established by Friends of Waterbury Reservoir with assistance from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s aquatic nuisance species grant-in-aid program. A part-time greeter, along with a motivated group of volunteers from FWR, offered invasive species education and boat inspections at multiple launch sites around this aquatic gem in central Vermont.

The growing season for 2016 saw many projects across the state tackling the forest, field, and wetland health issue of non-native invasive plants. Below are highlights of some of these amazing local efforts. Huge thanks to everyone who is working toward making our Vermont landscapes healthier and more resilient, and protecting them for generations to come.