An Eradication Plan for Plant Invasions

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Abstract
An eradication plan is needed to counteract the increasing number of invasions by new plant species and the cost of resulting control programs. An eradication plan includes early detection of new species, assessment of the invader's noxious potential, surveys, understanding of the invader's biology, and technology incorporated into a strategy to eliminate the species and to revegetate invasion sites. Early detection increases the probability of successfully eradicating invading plants. Key factors in determining a plant's noxious potential are similarities among the climates of the invaded area and endemic population, the plant's history of spread, and its ability to germinate. Surveys are necessary to detect new species and to assess their threat. Reliable surveys depend on using proper methods and tactics. Population dynamics indicate the stage of a plant's life cycle most vulnerable to eradication treatments, the time to deplete viable propagules from the soil, and the strategy to stop spread. Eradication technology is based on a plant's population dynamics and must eliminate every plant from an infestation. The survey data, population dynamics, and eradication technology are combined into an eradication strategy that must stop spread, prevent reproduction, and deplete viable propagules from the soil. An effective eradication strategy specifies where and when to apply treatments, quarantine measures, criteria to assess progress, steps to prevent further invasions, and cost appraisals.