US declares April Invasive Plant Awareness Month

The United States Department of Agri-culture (USDA) has declared April to be Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month.

It has been dedicated to highlighting the impact of invasive plant pests and diseases on plants nationwide and informing Americans how they can help reduce their spread.

The aim is to raise public awareness about the threat and how US residents can help protect resources from hungry pests.

“Each year, invasive insects and plant diseases cause an estimated $40 billion in damages to plants that sustain us,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“Invasive species threaten our food security, agricultural livelihoods, and way of life.

“Luckily, there’s a lot we can do to protect our resources. This spring, familiarise yourself with the invasive pest quarantines in your area and do your part to avoid inadvertently moving invasive insects and plant diseases to new areas.

“Many invasive plant pests and diseases are natural hitchhikers and can be hard to see. It’s all too easy to unintentionally move them to new areas,” said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffitt.

“Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month is a reminder to all of us to limit the spread of plant pests and diseases.”

Non-native plant pests can hitchhike in untreated firewood, attach themselves to cars, boats, and other outdoor surfaces – or take a ride in the mail.

They can travel to new areas on agricultural material such as soil, seeds, homegrown produce, and plants.

Invasive pests have few or no natural predators in their new environments, so their populations quickly outpace native species and spread.

These non-native plant pests and diseases disrupt ecosystems and reduce biological diversity.

Climate change can magnify the impact of invasive species by increasing the level of plant pest infestations and disease infection, allowing pests to produce more generations each year, and increasing their suitable habitat.