Editor’s note: This article is being republished courtesy of cascadepbs.org . Skye Pelliccia knows an invasive plant when she sees one. “[They] could be [in] a development area, roadsides, somewhere that is being physically developed, like urban areas that just have soil availability,” she said. And Pelliccia knows these plants — more commonly known as weeds — aren’t harmless. Pelliccia is an education specialist for the King County Noxious Weed Control Board. Part of her job is to identify and remove invasive plants out in the field. But she and others at the board have noticed a worrying trend that is making their work more challenging: Climate change is making it harder for native plants to thrive in their natural environment, giving invasive plants the opportunity to fill the niches native plants leave behind. The King County Noxious Weed Control Board has been adapting in response to get a better grasp of the situation. Washington has continuously battled invasive plants since 1881 with the passage of the first weed law, which said it was the responsibility of property owners to control the spread of invasive plants. Yet climate change has made this struggle tougher by facilitating the spread of invasive plants into regions that were previously too cold for them to grow in. This then allows invasive plants to outcompete native plants, some of which do not thrive in hotter temperatures, and reduce biodiversity within an ecosystem. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2024 is currently on track to be the hottest year on record. The University of Washington Botanic Gardens is an organization that vigilantly monitors its gardens for invasive plants. Associate director and curator of living collections Ray Larson said they employ a strict checklist and testing process when introducing a plant species to their […]
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