Monday, February 2, 2015

New York
Restricts Sale
& Transport of
Some Invasive
Species
New York State Enacts
Much-Needed Support
for Invasive Species

Winter 2015 Many of us know the problems invasive
plants cause in our forests and along hiking
trails—shrubs like barberry crowding in on
the path, vines like oriental bittersweet
helping to pull down trees, invasive plants
smothering an area that used to have wonderful
spring wildflowers.
The Trail Conference’s Invasives Strike
Force has been working to combat invasive
plants along our trails since 2011. We,
along with many other park managers and
natural resource professionals across the
country, work tirelessly to protect our
native biodiversity in parks and natural
areas, but we often feel unsupported by
many facets of society. We go to nurseries
and see the very plants we have been
removing being sold to unsuspecting
homeowners. We go to pet stores and see
the invasive aquatic organisms that are decimating
our native aquatic habitats being
sold for aquariums. We see lists of recommended
street trees promoted by the
regional shade tree organization that
include species that are popping up as invasive
in our forests. We watch garden
programs that enthuse over ornamental
plants that we know have become invasive
in nearby states.
This past September, New York State
gave invasives fighters some much-needed
legal support for our efforts. The NYS
Dept. of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) issued regulations defining a list of
98 prohibited invasive species (NYCRR
Part 575) that, starting March 10, 2015,
will be illegal to sell, introduce, purchase,
import, or transport. This means that, as of
this spring, many of the invasive plants we
see in our forests will no longer be able to
be sold in New York.
Many of the most common invasive
species found along our hiking trails will be
prohibited—including barberry (prohibited
starting Sept. 10, 2015), oriental
bittersweet, Japanese stiltgrass, Japanese
honeysuckle, garlic mustard, and
knotweed. Yellow iris, water chestnut, and
mosquito fish—commonly sold for water
gardens and ponds—will also be prohibited,
as will border privet, one of the shrubs
frequently used for hedges. Two species of
bamboo were also placed on the list due to
the problems they cause when they spread
between neighboring yards.
You will still be allowed to transport prohibited
species for the purpose of
identification or disposal. For example, if
you catch a strange fish in the stream, you
are allowed to transport it to an expert to
have it identified without fear of having
violated the regulations. If you are involved
in an invasive plant removal effort, you are
allowed to transport and dispose of the
removed plants in the trash. In addition, a
permit process will be in place to allow use
of prohibited species for educational and
research purposes.
Some species were deemed too important
economically to prohibit outright.
These species have been placed on the regulated
list. A regulated species may still be
sold, but must be accompanied by labeling
identifying it as invasive and providing
information on how to prevent the species
from becoming introduced into a free-living
state in our natural areas. These
regulated species include some well-known
landscaping plants, such as Norway maple,
burning bush, and Chinese silver grass
(Miscanthus sinensis), and popular aquatic
pets such as red-eared slider (a turtle) and
goldfish.
To see the complete regulations along
with a full list of prohibited and regulated
species, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/
regulations/93848.html
Now that New York has passed these regulations,
we hope that it will inspire similar
efforts in New Jersey. Now that there is legislation
backing our efforts, we hope to see
a big difference in the invasive species control
work in New York.
Linda Rohleder is Trail Conference Director
of Land Stewardship and Coordinator of the
Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional
Invasive Species Management (PRISM).
The Trail Conference is contracted by the
state of New York to lead the Lower Hudson
PRISM, which brings together individuals,
organizations and agencies working on
invasive species to coordinate efforts and
strategies in the Lower Hudson Valley. See
http://LHprism.org for more information.

By Linda Rohleder

Linda Rohleder is Trail Conference Director
of Land Stewardship and Coordinator of the
Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional
Invasive Species Management (PRISM).
The Trail Conference is contracted by the
state of New York to lead the Lower Hudson
PRISM, which brings together individuals,
organizations and agencies working on
invasive species to coordinate efforts and
strategies in the Lower Hudson Valley. See

http://LHprism.org for more information