Chapter 8: Invasive Plants on Forest Land in the United States
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The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, considers a species to be invasive if it meets the following criteria: (1) the species must be nonnative to the ecosystem under consideration, and (2) the species’ introduction must cause or be likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health (Executive Order No. 13112, Federal Register/Vol. 64, No. 25/February 8, 1999). Indeed, Pimentel and others (2005) last estimated the cost of prevention and eradication of invasive plant species in crop, pasture, and forest settings at approximately $27 billion every year. In fact, the cost of combating just the invasive tree melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquefolia)in the State of Florida was estimated at between $3 and $6 billion dollars in 2005 (Pimentel and others 2005).