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The introduction to a new book-length report from the US Forest Service, Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector, starts off with this paragraph: "Invasive species are a historical, long-term, and continually growing threat to the ecology, economy, and infrastructure of the United States. Widely recognized as one of the most serious threats to the health, sustainability, and productivity of native ecosystems, invasive species issues have commonly been viewed as problems specific to Federal, State, and private landowners. However, it is increasingly apparent that the impacts from these species are all encompassing, affecting ecosystem processes in addition to the economics of land management, public and private infrastructure, the energy sector, international trade, cultural practices, and many other sectors in the United States." Notice on the map below, that our region of Virginia has a high rate of invasives, 38 to 80 percent! The book is available for free as a PDF--see this web page  Percent of forested Forest Inventory and Analysis program subplots invaded by one or more monitored invasive plant species. Map: Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector, US Forest Service, 2021, fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/61982.
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