Harrisburg – The Governor’s Invasive Species Council (PISC) has developed a list of twenty-five plant genera that it is recommending be banned from the nursery trade by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee (CPNWC). This list was distilled down from a list of 150 that the PISC is considering.
The PISC has only advisory powers, but the CPNWC has the regulatory power to ban plants from the nursery trade. PLNA has representation on both the PISC and the CPNWC and had a voice in the creation of the list of twenty-five plant genera. While this list was sent to the CPNWC as a whole, each plant species will be considered and acted upon separately by the CPNWC.
Growers should consider this list when deciding which species they will invest in growing in the future. While not all are guaranteed to be banned by the CPNWC, there is the real possibility that they could be.
Stay tuned to PLNA e-News for more as this story develops.
The Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee of the PA Department of Agriculture is meeting on October 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm. PLNA is encouraging members to attend this virtual meeting and provide comments on concerns during the open public comment period. The agenda and login information for the meeting is available on the PDA website. Cut and paste this link into your browser. https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Documents/Sunshine%20Meeting%20Agendas/CPNWC%20Agenda%20draft%2010.21.2021.pdf
To address comments by several regarding Acer palmatum, Acer platanoides, and Spiraea: I have seen all of these growing wild in suburban and rural PA including Lancaster and Dauphin Counties. I have prolific A. palmatum sprouts each spring thanks to the neighbor's specimen across the street. While I have yet to find it take over large natural areas, I understand the concern. Many invasive plants were grown here for over a hundred years before they became a major problem. I also have A. Platanoides growing from wild seed in the riparian area by my house. The Spiraea I have seen growing prolifically (and have been contracted to kill it by NRCS) in forest stewardship areas in Dauphin County along Peters Mountain. I was quite surprised to not see Pyrus calleryana and Anthraxon hispiduson this list. It is a significant problem in natural areas in Lancaster County, and we have seed the carpet grass spread over 10 acres of wetlands in just 2 years.
Hi, All,
If you have questions about this list, be sure to register and attend PLNA's November webinar! https://www.plna.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1561614&group=
Acorn Farms
says... Posted Monday, October 11, 2021
The committee is recommending banning Japanese Maples, Norway Maples to name a few? What criteria did they use on formulating this list? Why now?
It's hard for me to accept that a few plants on this list are among the 25 worst of 150 plants. Would like to see the full list. Also agree with Tom about Acer palmatum. Haven't seen the Spiraea or Buddleia spread. Miscanthus can spread in Zone 7, but seldom in Zone 6 and definitely not in Zone 5. What's on the list has to account for each zone independently, not broad brush across all zones. Quite a few new cultivars are seedless, so accommodations need to allow for their use. We - those of us in the trade - need to work harder on this list.
Although many of these plants have "some" attributes that could be considered of value most I can see the reason they are on the list. The one plant that I am shocked to see on this list is Acer palmatum, although it will seed in a perfect mulch seed bed in my experience I have never seen any of the cultivars seed in fields or wild areas and this is across a 43 year career. If someone has some different experience I would be interested in hearing about it but this is the first time I have seen this plant mentioned and it also has no mention in hundreds of pages I have searched on the web,
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Harrisburg – The Governor’s Invasive Species Council (PISC) has developed a list of twenty-five plant genera that it is recommending be banned from the nursery trade by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee (CPNWC). This list was distilled down from a list of 150 that the PISC is considering.
