Invasive Plants Workshop

Invasive Plant Ecology and Management

Invasive terrestrial and wetland plants can displace native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, degrade or eliminate wildlife habitat, create thickets that favor disease-carrying ticks, and cause injury due to thorns and skin toxins.  These aggressive plants can also be a safety hazard along roadways, interfere with property maintenance, and crowd and overgrow trails and recreational areas.  Nancy Olmstead, invasive plant biologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, will discuss the top invasive plant species, why they are so harmful, and what can be done about them.  Nancy will also introduce the online mapping tool, iMapInvasives, which allows anyone to map invasive plants and keep track of their management. There will also be local landscape companies offering their services at the event.