Invasive Plants of Concern

Invasive exotic plants are one of the most significant threats to natural resources in the national parks today. To provide early warning of weed invasions, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network monitors target plants in park areas where they are likely to first establish: along roads, trails, and waterways. Find out what we've learned at Curecanti National Recreation Area.

Many unique native plants grow on the Calcareous Riverside Outcrops and Seeps in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Over the past few years, park staff worked with the regional Invasive Plant Management Team, as well as an invasive plant control company, to remove invasive shrubs like autumn olive, honeysuckles, and multiflora rose.

From coast to coast, the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division is helping park managers improve the health and function of forest ecosystems. From promoting resilient forests in the Northeast, to conserving whitebark pine in the West, to protecting Hawaiian forest birds from avian malaria, scientific partnerships are helping parks to share information, leverage funding sources, and work together for outcomes that extend beyond what any park could accomplish on its own.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have some of the most beautiful mountain, river, and grassland landscapes across the United States but their resilience – a key characteristic of national parklands – is threatened by invasive species. National Park Service (NPS) park managers, restoration biologists, and other partners are at work to control invasive species through multiple projects in parks of the American southwest.

Invasive plants harm the fertile prairie and cover up historic artifacts. Park staff use a variety of strategies to keep them at bay.

Incised fumewort (Corydalis incisa) is a "high risk" invasive plant in the mid-Atlantic US with the potential to become widespread and cause a lot of damage. Learn how to identify it, differentiate it from the native yellow corydalis (Corydalis flavula), and help be on the lookout for this invasive species.

The Strawberry Fire burned 2,790 acres of park lands in August 2016. Sagebrush steppe, pinyon-juniper, aspen, mountain mahogany, and riparian plant communities were impacted by the lightning-ignited fire. After the fire, the park prepared a three-year Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) plan.

Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021.

Invasive exotic plants are one of the most significant threats to natural resources in the national parks today. To provide early warning of weed invasions, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network monitors target plants in park areas where they are likely to first establish: along roads, trails, and waterways. Find out what we've learned at Golden Spike National Historical Park.

Invasive exotic plants are one of the most significant threats to natural resources in the national parks today. To provide early warning of weed invasions, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network monitors target plants in park areas where they are likely to first establish: along roads, trails, and waterways. Find out what we've learned at Capitol Reef National Park.