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Risk Assessments for Invasive Plants: A Midwestern U.S. Comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Amanda Buerger
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556
Katherine Howe
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907
Ellen Jacquart*
Affiliation:
Northern Indiana Stewardship, The Nature Conservancy, Efroymson Conservation Center, 620 E. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Monika Chandler
Affiliation:
Minnesota Department of Agriculture, 625 Robert Street N, St. Paul, MN 55155
Theresa Culley
Affiliation:
Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Department of Biological Sciences, 614 Reiveschl Hall, Cincinnati, OH, 45221
Christopher Evans
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 11731 State Hwy 37, Benton, IL 62812
Kelly Kearns
Affiliation:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S Webster Street, Madison, WI 53707
Robert Schutzki
Affiliation:
Horticulture, Michigan State University, Department of Horticulture, 1066 Bogue Street, East Lansing, MI 48824
Laura Van Riper
Affiliation:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: ejacquart@tnc.org

Abstract

Several states in the Midwestern United States are using risk assessment to determine the invasiveness of introduced plant species, and each assessment process is different. This may lead to differences in results for the same species between states, creating concern about credibility by those using the assessments. In this study, risk assessments for six Midwestern states were compared, examining format, content, and assessment committee membership. Case studies were conducted for four species for which at least five of the six states in the study completed a risk assessment; results were compared in the context of general differences in assessment content and those specific to each species. Furthermore, 14 species for which only four of the six states completed assessments were briefly examined for outcome differences only, and possible reasons for these inconsistencies. Overall, differences in assessments did not result in incompatible conclusions for the species compared, suggesting that unique assessments in each state can provide consistent and credible results. We propose that these Midwestern states share species resources with each other to further improve consistency between the assessments.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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