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The North American Invasive Species Management Association’s 4th Annual Weed Biocontrol Summit will be held virtually on December 7, 2023, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm CST. The Biocontrol Summit communicates the latest in classical weed biocontrol research to North American invasive plant managers and educators and aims to connect researchers to on-the-ground practitioners. This year, NAISMA is highlighting the role weed biological control can play in reducing wildfire risk and mitigating wildfire impacts throughout North America. The Biocontrol Summit integrates research and implementation of biocontrol from the regional land managers’ perspective.
| 11:00 am – 11:05 am | Welcome by Christie Trifone Millhouse
NAISMA Executive Director
Moderated by Joey Milan, Bureau of Land Management |
| 11:05 am – 11:20 am | Invasive Grasses, Landscape Transformation and Fire:
When and Where Might Invasive Grasses be Reasonable
Targets for Biological Control?
Carla D’Antonio, University of California Santa Barbara |
| 11:20 am – 11:35 am | Recognizing Classical Biological Control as a Crucial
Component in National Landscape Restoration Efforts
Steve Jirik, Bureau of Land Management |
| 11:35 am – 11:50 am | Classical Biological Control of Invasive Annual Grasses
Brian G. Rector, USDA Agricultural Research Service |
| 11:50 am – 12:00 am | Discussion |
| 12:00 pm -12:15 pm | BREAK |
| 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm | Non-native Plant Invasions and Altered Fire Regimes:
A National Wildland Fire and Invasive Species Management Conundrum
Michele Crist, Bureau of Land Management |
| 12:30 pm – 12:45 am | Weed biological control- an ally in wildfire risk reduction
activities in the wildland urban interface.
Carol Randall, USDA Forest Service |
| 12:45 pm – 1:00 pm | The Importance of Biocontrol in a Post-Fire Integrated
Weed Management Strategy.
Joey Milan, Bureau of Land Management Jenn Andreas, Washington State University |
| 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm | Discussion |
| 1:15 pm – 1:25 pm | BREAK |
| 1:25 pm – 1:40 pm | Landscape Impacts of Biocontrol in Toadflax Infested Landscapes
Sharlene Sing, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station |
| 1:40 pm – 1:55 pm | Invasive Plants, Fire, and the Influence of Biological
Control in Florida’s Everglades
Melissa Smith, USDA-Agricultural Research Service Invasive Plant Research Laboratory |
| 1:55 pm – 2:10 pm | Wildfire and Biocontrol in Invaded Riparian Systems
Tom Dudley, University of California Santa Barbara |
| 2:10 pm – 2:55 pm | Discussion |
| 2:55 pm – 3:00 pm | Closing by Jenn Andreas |
Carla D’Antonio, University of California Santa Barbara
Presentation Abstract: Grasses as a group have been moved around the world both on purpose and accidentally and arguably have contributed to ecosystem transformation more than any other lineage of plants. This includes both purposeful and accidental introductions. Here I review the ability of many grasses to spread beyond their introduction site, take advantage of ongoing anthropogenically driven landscape change, and promote further change via promotion of fire. I give examples of where invasive grasses are contributing to increases in fire frequency and spread rates. Their influence on fire intensity and severity are less well studied. While the fire-related problems associated with invasive grasses are severe in some settings, selecting species for biocontrol control will not be easy because many invasive grasses are still important to the success of the livestock industry and the consequences of their reduction on rangelands have not been well studied.
Speaker Bio: Carla D’Antonio is a Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Environmental Studies and Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at UCSB. Her interests are in factors driving vegetation change and the impacts of species invasions. She has worked on the ecology, dynamics and impacts of invasive species in Hawaii and the western mainland USA since 1985 both as an academic researcher, and as a federal scientist. Previous positions include being Lead Scientist of the Exotic and Invasive Weeds Research Unit for the USDA-ARS in Reno, Nevada and working for Chanel Islands National Park on habitat restoration. Prior to joining the faculty at UCSB, she was a professor at UC, Berkeley
Steve Jirik, Bureau of Land Management
Presentation Abstract: Classical biological control (CBC) is a proven tool for naturally controlling widespread invasive species infestations. For many decades it has successfully controlled problematic species such as St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) and many others to the point that they are no longer a major concern in areas they once dominated. These successes demonstrate CBCs potential for passively restoring our western landscapes which are increasingly transitioning to invasive annual grasses and rapidly expanding noxious weeds such as rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea), yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) and others.
However, most individuals outside of the invasive species community are unaware of CBCs potential, resulting in minimal/sporadic funding for CBC development. This presentation discusses ways to increase awareness and explores opportunities to leverage CBC development in national landscape restoration efforts.
Speaker Bio: Steve Jirik has worked for the US Bureau of Land Management since 1989 with a focus on fire rehabilitation, restoration, fuels, invasive species and grazing management. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Idaho and has served as Idaho BLM’s Emergency Fire Rehabilitation and Invasive Species Program lead since 2011. Steve enjoys the outdoors, history, and family trips.
Brian G. Rector, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Presentation Abstract: Several Eurasian annual grass species, including cheatgrass and medusahead, have become invasive on millions of acres of rangeland in western North America. These grasses compete with native flora, disrupt ecosystems, and when senesced, provide abundant tinder to spark and carry fire to larger fuel sources, contributing to recent increases in the magnitude and intensity of destructive wildfires. USDA-ARS has initiated a classical biological control program targeting these and other invasive annual grass species, assembling and coordinating an international team of scientists to aid in carrying it out. From surveys of the native ranges of the targeted grass species, this program has to date yielded the discovery of several candidate biocontrol agents, including a mite and a wasp on medusahead and a mite, a weevil, two midges, and two fungi on cheatgrass. Evaluations of the suitability of each of these candidates for release as biocontrol agents are at varying stages. Preliminary surveys have been conducted for other invasive annual grass targets, including red brome and wiregrass.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Brian G. Rector has worked as a Research Entomologist for USDA-ARS for 24 years, now based at the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit in Albany, CA. His current research is focused on classical biological control of invasive annual grasses in the western USA, including the discovery and identification of their natural enemies, and evaluation to assess their suitability for importation into the USA as biocontrol agents. Dr. Rector holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and has published 67 peer-reviewed articles in the diverse fields of entomology, acarology, taxonomy, plant pathology, plant and arthropod physiology, apiculture, agronomy, ecology, evolution, molecular genetics, genetic pest management, and biological control. In addition to his working relationships with stakeholders in the western USA, Dr. Rector has active collaborations with scientists from Bulgaria, France, Italy, Poland, and Serbia. Most evenings he can be found listening to Boston Red Sox or Bruins games on internet radio.
Michele Crist, BLM Fire Planning and Fuels Management Division
Presentation Abstract: In recent years the incidence, frequency, and severity of wildfires has increased across the U.S. landscape with consequent impacts on public safety, livelihoods, and the environment. Invasive species, along with climate change, are playing a major role in altering fire regimes and shifting vegetation recovery patterns after fire. For example, invasive species, and non-native grasses in particular, have the potential to increase available fuel in ecosystems and change fuel properties; wildfire size by creating horizontal and vertical fuel continuity; wildfire intensity from larger fuel loads; and wildfire frequency with an increase in invasives post-fire. Recognizing the growing importance of this dynamic, the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) and the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) launched a partnership in 2020 designed to identify and advance opportunities to better align invasive species and wildland fire management. This effort has included major US federal agencies including the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense, along with a growing range of non-federal actors including state and local governments, researchers, and other land managers. This effort has focused on addressing management needs and opportunities at national, regional, and landscape scales. The presentation will provide some background on the situation with invasive species and wildfire in the U.S., review priority actions identified by NISC and WFLC, and discuss ongoing and future steps for implementation.
Speaker Bio: Throughout her career, Michele has been heavily involved in ecological research and modeling in the disciplines of landscape ecology as well as wildlife, fire, forest and sagebrush ecology, climate change, and invasive species management. In her current position, as a landscape ecologist for the BLM Fire Planning and Fuels Management Division, she leads the development, coordination, and application of science. She has produced national fire risk assessments, and several interagency geospatial assessments and frameworks used in large-scale prioritization and management of fire risk, vegetation restoration, and invasive annual grasses that have a negative influence on wildfire. She has led inter-agency teams to develop tools, guidance documents, and large-scale frameworks for wildland fire and natural resource management. She also collaborates with USGS, US Forest Service, universities, and other organizations on research projects that inform fire planning and fuels management to help reduce uncharacteristic fire at national and regional scales.
Carol Randall, USDA Forest Service
Presentation Abstract: The US Forest Service has embarked upon a 10-year initiative to confront the wildfire crisis by increasing fuels and forest health treatments across jurisdictions to match the scale of wildfire risk- especially to the wildland interface in the Western United States. The management of weeds is crucial for the prevention of extreme wildfires. Weed biological control is the only weed management tactic that, if successful, brings about desired ecological change over large areas without repeated costs or treatment of the entire infested area, and the development and use of weed biological control should increase to meet the current wildfire crisis.
Speaker Bio: Carol Randall is the USDA Forest Service Northern and Intermountain Region Forest Health Protection Pesticide Use Coordinator, Invasive Plant Program Manager, and Weed Biological Control Specialist stationed in Northern Idaho. She has worked with western land managers to increase the use and monitoring of biological control as a key component of integrated weed management strategies. She is a passionate advocate for the meaningful incorporation of weed biological control into weed management strategies that help reduce wildfire risk and promote ecological resiliency.
Joey Milan, Bureau of Land Management; Jenn Andreas, Washington State University
Presentation Abstract: When considering viable treatment options following wildfires, often the funding associated with Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) spans a period of three years or less. Given the invasive nature of most species land managers contend with on a landscape scale, an approach that does not include a biocontrol component when successful biocontrol agents have shown to be effective, is not an ecologically sustainable option. To date, there have been very few implementation plans that focused on concerted biocontrol release efforts following wildfires. In this presentation, the emphasis will be on utilizing biological control options following wildfires in areas infested with target weeds that have been successfully controlled by biological control either previously in the burned area or in areas that have not been burned where biocontrol is used as a treatment option.
Speaker Bio:
Joseph “Joey” Milan is a Boise, Idaho native. Joey graduated from the College of Idaho with a BS in Biology and the University of Idaho where he completed his MS in Entomology. Upon completion of his MS, Joey began working at his present position as a Biological Control Specialist with the BLM. At his present post, he serves as the interagency coordinator for biological control, assisting weed control practitioners in their Integrated Weed Management approach by providing technical assistance and monitoring of past releases as well as organizing new collections and additional potential release sites.
Jennifer Andreas is a Professor with Washington State University Extension where she leads the Integrated Weed Control Project (IWCP) and acts as the state weed biocontrol specialist. Jennifer started working in biological weed control in 1998 at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Lethbridge Research Centre while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Lethbridge. She continued with biocontrol research at CABI – Switzerland and then completed a Master of Science in Entomology at the University of Idaho, where she investigated the environmental safety of the houndstongue root weevil. In 2005, she joined WSU and shifted her focus onto invasive species education, biocontrol implementation and education and is the primary biocontrol resource for Washington State. In addition to this work, Jennifer is chair for the Flowering Rush Biocontrol Consortium, co-chair of the Columbia Basin CWMA, co-chair of NAISMA’s Classical Biological Control Committee, and conducts research for several weed-biocontrol systems. To learn more, please visit: www.invasives.wsu.edu.
Sharlene E. Sing, USDA Forest Service – Rocky Mountain Research Station
Presentation Abstract: Efficacy of target weed management, native plant biodiversity, and maintenance or increase in desirable cover class(s) were compared over time among three 300-acre treatment areas. Treatments included conventional helicopter-applied herbicide, classical biological control by the Dalmatian toadflax stem mining weevil Mecinus janthiniformis, and a no-treatment option control. To best assess treatment relevance to operational conditions, the study area was located within a Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest grazing allotment and was subject to additional disturbance from wildfire and wildlife (elk, mule and whitetail deer, black-tailed prairie dogs, and yellow-bellied marmots). The relatively rapid spread of the biocontrol agent into the helispray and control treatment areas, though welcome from a management perspective, is a confounding but consistent factor in interpretation of the effects of the planned treatments.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Sharlene E. Sing is a Research Entomologist based at the Bozeman Forestry Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service – Rocky Mountain Research Station. Her research focuses on developing, evaluating, optimizing, and increasing the use of classical biological of weeds. Her primary targets include invasive toadflaxes, Russian olive, and saltcedar. This work is influenced by an overarching interest in ecological risk assessment. She also serves as the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group for Biological Control Agents of Weeds (TAG-BCAW).
Melissa Smith, USDA-Agricultural Research Service Invasive Plant Research Laboratory
Presentation Abstract: Fire is a physical process, often utilized by for cultural land management, that has wide ranging impacts on native and introduced vegetation. Despite being one of the largest wetland habitats on the planet, Florida’s Everglades – a series of sloughs, swamps, marshes, and wetlands -is dominated by lightning-caused fires. Fire is also a significant vegetation management tool. But invasive plants can drastically impede the efficacy and usefulness of this tool by altering fire regimes. Species that display some alteration of fire regimes include Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum), paperbark tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), and Brazilian pepper-tree (Schinus terebinthifolius). Biological control agents have been introduced for all three species in the hopes that reductions in the target species will not only alter the competitive interactions between native and invasive species, but that there will also be a restoration of more normal fire behaviors within invaded landscapes. Herein we review the interactions of the target species with their biological control agents and the native communities in relation to fire.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Melissa Smith is a research ecologist with the USDA’s Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Melissa joined the lab in 2012 and focuses on broad ecological interactions of large-scale plant invasions and their introduced biological control agents have with the native community. Some of the species Melissa is currently investigating include Melaleuca quinquenervia, Acacia auriculiformis, Lygodium microphyllum and Pontederia crassipes. At the Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, Dr. Smith has delved into many collaborative projects to investigate larger ecological questions (e.g., competition, predation, parasitism,succession) within a biological control context.
Tom Dudley, Research Biologist, University of California Santa Barbara
Presentation Abstract: Invasive plants are closely associated with ignitions and spread of
wildfire across the West and reducing their abundances is key to managing this risk, however the large scale of weed invasions makes it extremely difficult to provide adequate and cost-effective control. In riparian areas in particular, replacement of fire-resistant native woodlands by flammable taxa such as Tamarix spp. (tamarisk, saltcedar), Arundo donax (giant reed) and many ruderal spp. like Centaurea solsticialis (yellow star-thistle) and several annual grasses has changed the fundamental nature of fire in these ecosystems. Biocontrol potentially offers a sustainable means for reducing such fire risks at the landscape level. The case of biomass reduction of Tamarix by the leaf beetle, Diorhabda carinulata, provides an example of such benefits for fuel volume, as well as the potential to use managed fire to further enhance weed mortality via suppressing metabolic storage of carbon necessary for post-fire recovery.
Speaker Bio: Tom Dudley is an aquatic ecologist working in western rivers and riparian systems with the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara, with graduate degrees in aquatic entomology from Oregon State University and UCSB, and post-doc studies in desert ecosystems through Arizona State University. His rivers kept getting infested by non-native plants, so he has evolved to studying the impacts and control of invasive plants and animals, particularly the use of biocontrol as part of riparian restoration programs.
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