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In the past 50 years, the number of non-native species introduced outside their native range has doubled, leading to substantial negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. This is a problem that will persist as species introductions continue to rise and impacts are intensified by climate change and other drivers of change. It is well-established that economic returns on investment in prevention and eradication far outweigh those for containment and maintenance control management strategies, but investment in prevention is still much less than what is spent on management. Weed risk assessment is a method to preemptively screen species before they are introduced to a new area (or as early as possible). It is based on the idea that species traits can be used to predict the success (or failure) of a species at passing through the stages of invasion and spread. In this presentation, we will discuss different approaches to risk assessment, how results are applied, some of the benefits and costs of this process, and the future of risk assessment to prevent continued plant invasions.
This webinar is sponsored by CAST in partnership with NAISMA.
Presented by Deah Lieurance, Assistant Professor of Invasive Species Biology and Management at Penn State University, and Theresa Culley, Professor of Plant Ecology and past Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati
Deah Lieurance is currently an Assistant Professor of Invasive Species Biology and Management in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at The Pennsylvania State University. Previously, she worked at University of Florida as an Extension Scientist leading the IFAS Assessment of Nonnative Plants-a risk assessment program. Her research and extension work centers around invasive species prevention and prioritization using decision support tools and horizon scanning. She is the 2021 recipient of NAISMA’s Rita Beard Visionary Leadership Award. Additionally, she currently serves on the NAISMA’s board and the chair of the Board Development Committee and Pennsylvania’s Invasive Species Council.
Theresa Culley is a Professor of Plant Ecology and past Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Her research focuses on the mechanisms and genetics of plant invasions, especially for species of ornamental and horticultural use. She is a board member of the Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIPN), a founding co-organizer of Public Gardens as Sentinels of Plant Invasion (PGSIP) in North America, and a past president of the Ohio Invasive Species Council (OIPC) where she chairs its invasive plant assessment committee. Theresa also serves on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Invasive Plant Advisory Committee which assists in the commercial regulation of invasive species in Ohio.
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