Cross-border efforts to manage North America’s invasive plants and weeds will be the focus of an upcoming Weeds Across Borders conference scheduled for June 1-4 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W.Va.
The biennial event is expected to draw participants from Canada, Mexico and the United States who are interested in sharing information on weeds and collaborating to stop their spread.
“Unfortunately weeds don’t respect jurisdictional boundaries,” said John Jachetta, president, Weed Science Society of America. “That makes partnerships and cross-country cooperation critical to effective management programs.”
The theme of this year’s conference is “Plant Invasions: Policies, Politics and Practices.” The agenda includes presentations, training sessions and field tours focused on a variety of hot topics:
- Effective weed management policies
- Working with the horticultural industry across country borders
- Applied research reports on vegetative management, weed biology and ecosystem protection
- Border management and jurisdictional issues
- Ecological factors impacting the spread of invasive plants and weeds
- Affordable weed management solutions ? Educational programs to promote public awareness
- Early detection and rapid response to weed invasions
- New and emerging issues in vegetation management
- Weeds along the pathways, rivers and trails of the Appalachian Mountains
Conference sponsor is the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds. Both public and private agencies are supporting the effort, including: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, UNAM-National University of Mexico, Invasive Plant Atlas of New England, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For more information or to register to attend, visit http://www.weedcenter.org/wab2010.
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About the Weed Science Society of America:
The Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit professional society, was founded in 1956 to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Weed Science Society of America promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, and fosters awareness of weeds and their impacts on managed and natural ecosystems, and promotes cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit http://www.wssa.net.
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