• Start-up
  • Planning
  • Action
  • Evaluation

Several actions have been identified to help reduce the impacts of invasive species, and these are graudally being implemented. 

Climate change is generally expected to increase opportunities for non-native and invasive species to thrive in Northwoods forests, but these impacts are hard to predict with certainty and they will depend on several interacting factors. The Invasive Species Program on the Eagle River/ Florence District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet has used the adaptation workbook to evaluate new challenges presented by climate change, and they have identified several actions to help adjust their work to address new and shifting threats.

Project Area

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The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest covers more than 1.5 million acres of Wisconsin’s Northwoods and has been a key partner in the Climate Change Response Framework since its inception. The adaptation work described here is just one of several activities underway on the Forest to show the wide variety of ways in which climate change considerations can be incorporated into sustainable forest and natural resource management activities. Learn more about Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest's actions to respond to a changing climate.

Management Goals

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The Eagle River - Florence District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest has an active Invasive Species Program. The goal of this program is generally to contain populations of non-native invasive plants and animals, which overlaps with many other goals and objectives for the Forest as a whole. Priority invasive species are controlled through active management where possible, sometimes in cooperation with the state of Wisconsin, counties, tribes, and other organizations.

Climate Change Impacts

A team of natural resource managers from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest used the Adaptation Workbook from Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on priority invasive species. The potential effects of changing conditions on the Eagle River - Florence District Invasive Species Program include:
Altered distrubance regimes may provide increased opportunities for invasive species to become established
Warmer temperatures may allow new invasive species to migrate into the area (e.g., hemlock woolly adelgid)
Non-native species may be more able to take advantage of longer growing seasons for growth and reproduction
Earlier springs will mean that effective treatment windows for invasive plants like garlic mustard will also shift earlier in the year

Adaptation Actions

The Invasive Species Program staff identified several actions that could help adapt to climate change, while continuing to address the challenges presented by non-native invasive species. Several of these actions selected from the Adaptation Workbook are listed below (not a comprehensive list).

Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
Prevention
2.2. Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species and remove existing invasive species.
Increase communication to the public about invasive species prevention (billboards, signs, training near recreation areas)
Decontamination actions (install boot brushes, wader decontamination, equipment cleaning for all programs
Workforce Efficiency
2.2. Prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species and remove existing invasive species.
Cross training among different field crews and resource staff
Ensure that staff are available to treat invasive plants earlier in the year
Increase monitoring along trails and get better spraying equipment

Learn More

Keywords

Invasive species
Recreation

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