ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Two U.P. organizations are teaming up to raise awareness about invasive species.
According to the Michigan State University (MSU) Forestry Innovation Center, many of the Upper Peninsula’s invasive species are a side effect of global trade.
“We move plant material, we move insects, we move disease around the world,” said Innovation Center Director Jesse Randall. “We’re seeing more and more of those come into our forested systems here in the U.P.”
Those invasive species can cause serious harm to local plants, animals, and even people.
“Some of them have major environmental concerns to the point of limiting regeneration of our trees and the importance of our forest products industry and wildlife that relies on those,” Randall explained. “We have some that are human health concerns—some that will cause chemical burns, respiratory issues.”
On Thursday, February 20, the Central Upper Peninsula Chapter of Wild Ones will host “Invaders in the Woods” at the Forestry Innovation Center. The educational event will focus on how to identify some of those invasive species.
“Barberry is a common landscaping shrub which is quite invasive, especially in our forests,” said Laurie Johnson, Central U.P. Wild Ones President. “Spotted knapweed is kind of a field flower, which is actually quite pretty but really can deter the growth of other plants.”
The event will also cover ways to promote a healthy local ecosystem, such as natural landscaping.
“A grassy lawn that we all kind of have accustomed to is not doing our pollinators any good,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of an ecological desert. Supporting pollinators not only supports our own flowers and gardens, but it also supports our larger agriculture in the area.”
Johnson and Randall say public awareness and action are some of the most important factors in combating the negative impacts of invasive species.
“It really is to create a mobilized community that knows what they’re looking at and can identify it, know what they’re looking at it not native and that they should call somebody,” said Randall. “That’s how all of our new invasive finds are happening. Once we get to it early enough, there’s a lot more options for us to control it.”
“What we do on a small scale can really have an effect on the larger environment,” Johnson added.
“Invaders in the Woods” is free and open to the public. The presentation will begin at 4:00 p.m. The MSU Forestry Innovation Center is located at 6005 J Road in Escanaba, and signs will be posted along the road.
To learn more about Central U.P. Wild Ones and future events, visit the group’s Facebook page or email wildonescentralup@gmail.com. Click here for more information on the MSU Forestry Innovation Center.
