The Challenge of Invasives in the Chicago Region:
Research and Management
Dr. Liam Heneghan, Professor of Environmental Science at DePaul University
Effective mechanical and chemical control techniques have been developed for almost all important woody, alien invasive plants. Despite this, progress with actual control of these plants has been disappointing." There are several land managers in the Midwest that I might be quoting here. The quote however comes from Kluge and Erasmus (1991) in discussing invasive species control in the Natal province in South Africa . The situation prevailing in the Chicago region is a similar. We devote a lot of time and attention, research and money to controlling invasive species. Our progress is varied and the challenges we face in our urban environment and global economy require a comprehensive reevaluation of the way in which we approach the science and management underpinning the invasives problem. This reevaluation encompasses not only the science underpinning questions of invasion, but also management practices, but also may require a radical reassessment of the mechanisms whereby managers and scientists interact.
As highlighted in the Biodiversity Recovery Plan, Chicago Wilderness has a goal “to protect natural communities in the Chicago region and restore them to long-term viability”. In working towards this goal, land managers spend a great deal of time and money combating invasive species. Results from a survey conducted by the Chicago Wilderness Invasive Species Task Force revealed that member organizations spend an average of 1300 work hours and 33% of their budget managing invasive species. This equates to an annual contribution of approximately $45,000 per organization. In addition to being costly, managers reported a variety of outcomes from management techniques. This survey was modest in scale, but tells us that invasive species cause great economic strain on land managers, restricting their budget to so that it is nearly impossible to allocate additional funds for systematic evaluation of techniques. While this problem is widely recognized within Chicago Wilderness organizations, the public remains largely unaware of the ecologic and economic impact of biological invasion by plants. While steps are recently underway to combat this fact, there is much work to be done. In order for Chicago Wilderness to win this battle against the biologic aliens, a truly holistic approach much emerge.
To read more, click the link below to view the entire article in a pdf document.
Jim Steffan and Liam Heneghan tackle a buckthorn from Mary Mix McDonald Woods in Glencoe, IL.
Dr. Liam Heneghan
Biography
Liam Heneghan is an ecosystem ecologist currently working at DePaul University where he is a Professor in the Environmental Science Program. His research has included studies on the impact of acid rain on soil foodwebs in Europe, and on inter-biome comparisons of decomposition and nutrient dynamics in forested ecosystems in North American and in the tropics. Recently, Heneghan and his students at DePaul have been examining the impacts of invasive species on nutrient cycling and soil organisms in Midwestern woodlands. Heneghan is co-director of DePaul University ' s Institute for Nature and Culture and is co-chair of the Science Team with Chicago Wilderness .