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Submodule 1: What are invasive weeds?
Invasive Plants on Western Rangelands
Invasive plants have infested vast areas of western rangeland in the U.S., and they are projected to destroy an additional 4,500 acres of this land daily. In the late 1990’s, it was estimated that about 100 million acres of western rangeland had been seriously damaged by weed infestation, and this area continues to grow.
Erosion (photo courtesy John Hays)
There are many reasons we should care about this growing menace, including:
- Invasive plants are often not as desired for grazing
- Invasive plants can decrease biodiversity by choking out native plants and limiting the number of different species growing in one area.
- Invasive plants can harm soil by increasing erosion, decreasing nutrient content, and altering nutrient cycles.
- Invasive plants cost money
- Invasive plants can alter watershed, hydrological, and soil characteristics of rangeland.
- Invasive plants decrease land values
- Invasive plants can hybridize with native species, polluting genetic resources.
- Invasive plants can negatively alter fire patterns and frequency
This is a short list of the potential negative effects of invasive plant infestations. In this learning module, you will gain more knowledge about these and many other important facts about this threat to western rangelands.
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