<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">In 2012, the Maryland Legislature passed the Maryland Invasive Plant
Prevention and Control law. The law established an 11-member body called
<strong class="">IPAC</strong>, the <strong class="">Invasive Plant Advisory Committee</strong>,
to assist the Secretary of Agriculture in assigning regulatory status
to invasive ornamental terrestrial plants. The law required IPAC to
adopt a risk assessment tool for use in this process; IPAC chose the <strong class="">Weed Risk Assessment (WRA)</strong>. Three IPAC members traveled to North Carolina in 2012 to learn to
use the WRA. It soon became clear that more trained assessors were
needed to handle the volume of plant assessments. This spring, Dr. Tony
Koop, one of the originators of the WRA, and Dr. Sylvan Kaufman, an
ecological consultant and author of a well-known book on invasive
plants, created a streamlined training for new assessors, consisting of
three webinars and a two-day workshop.<p class="">The WRA consists of 94 questions about a target plant species,
divided into four risk factors: establishment and spread (how it grows
and reproduces), impacts (what effects it has on natural, human and
agricultural production systems), geographic potential (where it can
live), and entry potential (how it can get here). As assessors answer
each of these questions, they also note how sure (or not) they are of
their answers, based on the quality and quantity of the evidence. A
completed WRA gives a probability that a plant will be a major or minor
invader, or not invasive at all, and whether there is a high or moderate
risk of invasion. </p><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><figcaption class="">IPAC uses the WRA results to do further analysis to assign a
regulatory rating to an assessed species of either Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Tier 1 plants may not be purchased, sold, transferred, transported or
introduced in Maryland. Tier 2 plants may still be sold, but must be
clearly and brightly labeled as Tier 2 – invasive – plants. The sales
restrictions and signage requirements are aimed to prevent or discourage
further introductions of these invasive species through ornamental
plantings. Currently, Tier 1 plants include fig buttercup, Amur
honeysuckle, and shining geranium, among others. Some of the Tier 2
plants are burning bush, heavenly bamboo and wisteria. For the entire
list, see <a href="https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/maryland_invasive_plants_prevention_and_control.aspx" class="">https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/maryland_invasive_plants_prevention_and_control.aspx</a>. </figcaption></figure></div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jan 11, 2021, at 5:49 PM, Kathy Daniel <<a href="mailto:kdaniel20816@gmail.com" class="">kdaniel20816@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class="gmail_quote">Does Maryland have similar legislation in the works? </div><div class="gmail_quote"><br class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">There is some important invasive species legislation pending during the short Virginia legislative session. See summary below.<br class=""><br class="">Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; invasive plant species work group; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation, jointly with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to establish a work group to study the sale and use of invasive plant species. The resolution requests that the departments work with several state agencies, conservation nonprofits, and plant industry and agriculture groups to develop recommendations regarding statutory and regulatory changes intended to reduce or eliminate the sale and use of invasive plant species in the Commonwealth and promote the sale and use of native plants.<br class=""><br class="">Virginia House Joint Resolution 527<br class=""></div>
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