INVASIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT 

The FRCC works with local groups, landowners, and others interested in controlling non-native invasive plants.

Why are we concerned about invasive plants? Part of FRCC's mission is to protect and enhance the values for which the Farmington River was designated Wild & Scenic - free-flowing water, high water quality, special scenic, recreational and habitat features. Native habitat is important to protect for many species.

Our Botanist has been leading the Invasives Program for FRCC for several years. She is available to consult with anyone interested in helping to stop the spread of invasive plants within our five-town W&S area.

INVASIVE SPECICES MANAGEMENT

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control : The Peoples and American Legion State Forests are extensive watershed forests bordering the upper Farmington River, and are important for natural diversity, wildlife, and recreation. These forests have a large eastern hemlock component, critical for wildlife habitat, thermoregulation, and filtering of the streams that feed into the main river. FRCC has been working with Dr. Carole Cheah, Research Entomologist with the CT Agricultural Experiment Station, to continue control efforts of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) through the release of Sasajiscymus tsugae, a beetle that predates on HWA. Our native Eastern Hemlock is susceptible and severely impacted by HWA, especially when also stressed by drought and other native and exotic insect pests. Hemlocks here were found to have recent heavy infestations of HWA in recent years. With climate change, these forests have also been subject to months of severe drought in summer 2020, an abnormally dry spring in 2021, and extreme summer drought in 2022, creating stressful conditions for moisture-loving hemlocks. In May of 2022, 5,050 beetles were released on infested hemlocks along the upper Farmington River at the American Legion and Peoples State Forests, with the help of volunteers from the FRCC, Friends of the American Legion and Peoples State Forests (FALPS), and staff from the CT DEEP Forestry Division, and funding from FRCC. Biological control with S. tsugae to reduce HWA pressure and impacts appear to have significantly helped hemlocks survive and initiate recovery, 5 –18 months after beetles were released, in spite of other significant stressors such as the drought.

Photo of beetle release on infested hemlocks in Peoples State Forest.

 

Please contact FRCC if you are interested in working with us to stop the spread of invasive species, or to report a suspected outbreak in your neighborhood or property.

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Invasive and Potentially Invasive Plants of The

Wild and Scenic West Branch Farmington River

E. Corrigan

Updated: 22 June 2020

	COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME*
1	Amur Honeysuckle	Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder
2	Autumn Olive	Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb.
3	Bishop’s Goutweed	Aegopodium podagraria L.
4	Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia L.
5	Black Swallowwort	Cyanchum louiseae Kartesz & Gandhi
6	Burning Bush	Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb.
7	Cheatgrass, Downy Brome+	Bromus tectorum L.
8	Coltsfoot	Tussilago farfara L.
9	Common Reed	Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud
10	Crested Late-summer Mint+	Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyl.
11	Cypress Spurge	Euphorbia cyparissias L.
12	Dame’s Rocket	Hesperis matronalis L.
13	European Buckthorn	Rhamnus cathartica L.
14	Forget-me-not	Myosotis scorpioides L.
15	Garlic Mustard	Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande
16	Glossy Buckthorn	Rhamnus frangula L.
17	Japanese Barberry	Berberis thunbergii DC.
18	Japanese Hops	Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc.
19	Japanese Knotweed	Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) R. Decr.
20	Japanese Stiltgrass	Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus
21	Lesser Celandine	Ranunculus ficaria L.
22	Moneywort	Lysimachia nummularia L.
23	Mugwort	Artemisia vulgaris L.
24	Multiflora Rose	Rosa multiflora Thunb.
25	Narrowleaf Bittercress	Cardamine impatiens L.
26	Norway Maple	Acer platanoides L.
27	Oriental Bittersweet	Celastrus orbiculatus Thun.
28	Privet+	Ligustrum cf. obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc.
29	Purple Loosestrife	Lythrum salicaria L.
30	Ragged Robin	Silene flos-cuculi (L.) Greuter & Burdet
31	Reed Canarygrass	Phalaris arudinacea L.
32	Sheep Sorrel+	Rumex acetosella L.
33	shrub honeysuckle	Lonicera sp.
34	Slender Snake-cotton	Froelichia gracilis (Hook.) Moq.
35	Spotted Knapweed	Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos (Gugler) Hayek
36	Tree-of-heaven	Ailanthus altissima (P. Mill.) Swingle
37	Yellow Iris	Iris pseudacorus L.