Managing invasive plants on Great Plains grasslands: A discussion of current challenges #capacity #rxfire

“Managing invasive plants on Great Plains grasslands: A discussion of current challenges”

This article was originally published in the 2021 issue of Rangeland Ecology and Management.

Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.04.003

Abstract

The Great Plains of North America encompass approximately 1,300,000 km2 of land from Texas to Saskatchewan. The integrity of these lands is under continual assault by long-established and newly-arrived invasive plant species, which can threaten native species and diminish land values and ecological goods and services by degrading desired grassland resources. The Great Plains are a mixture of privately and publicly owned lands, which leads to a patchwork of varying management goals and strategies for controlling invasive plants. Continually updated knowledge is required for efficient and effective management of threats posed by changing environments and invasive plants. Here we discuss current challenges, contemporary management strategies, and management tools and their integration, in hopes of presenting a knowledge resource for new and experienced land managers and others involved in making decisions regarding invasive plant management in the Great Plains.

Keywords: invasive species; prescribed fire; wildfire; integrated weed management; herbicide; grazing

Citation

Gaskin, John F., Erin Espeland, Casey D. Johnson, Diane L. Larson, Jane M. Mangold, Rachel A. McGee, Chuck Milner, Amy Symstad, et al. "Managing invasive plants on Great Plains grasslands: A discussion of current challenges." Rangeland Ecology & Management 78 (2021): 235-249.