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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><SPAN class=718330013-16122013></SPAN><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><STRONG>T<SPAN class=718330013-16122013>ake a look
at </SPAN><BR></STRONG></FONT>
<DIV></DIV><!-- Converted from text/plain format -->
<P><FONT size=2><A
title=blocked::http://www.maipc.org/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_DRAFT_Dec14.doc
href="http://www.maipc.org/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_DRAFT_Dec14.doc"><FONT
title=blocked::http://www.maipc.org/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_DRAFT_Dec14.doc
color=#0000ff size=3 face=Arial><STRONG
title=blocked::http://www.maipc.org/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_DRAFT_Dec14.doc>http://www.maipc.org/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_DRAFT_Dec14.doc</STRONG></FONT></A><SPAN
class=718330013-16122013><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2><SPAN class=718330013-16122013><FONT size=3><FONT
face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><STRONG><FONT
size=3>Biological control <SPAN
class=000494010-16122013>u</SPAN>pdates</FONT></STRONG><SPAN
class=006140614-04122013><STRONG><FONT size=3> <SPAN
class=000494010-16122013>with references, research contacts, and resources
</SPAN>for 18 Mid-Atlantic non-native terrestrial and</FONT> <FONT
size=3>aquatic invasive species</FONT> <FONT size=3>are available
in <SPAN class=000494010-16122013>this </SPAN>MAIPC Biocontrol Work</FONT>
<FONT size=3>Group document</FONT></STRONG><FONT size=3>
</FONT></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><SPAN
class=006140614-04122013><SPAN class=375453512-23112013><SPAN class=eca1><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><STRONG><FONT
size=3>One example is.
</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#0000ff>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">European Water Chestnut</SPAN></H3>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt"><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
color=#0000ff>European water chestnut (<I>Trapa natans</I></FONT><SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><FONT color=#0000ff>) is an invasive aquatic
plant native to Europe and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place
w:st="on">Asia</st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was
first observed in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State></st1:place> in the late 1800s.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Its current distribution is the
mid-Atlantic and northeastern <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>, with the most</FONT> <FONT
color=#0000ff>serious problems being reported for the Connecticut River valley,
Lake Champlain region, Hudson River, Potomac River and the upper <st1:place
w:st="on">Delaware River</st1:place> (Swearingen et al. 2010).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This species</FONT></SPAN><FONT
color=#0000ff> can form dense floating mats, and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: CenturyExpanded">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
color=#0000ff>its sharp fruits can cause painful</FONT> <FONT
color=#0000ff>wounds, making control efforts a challenge.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: SPSTimes-Roman"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
color=#0000ff>The most promising species for biological control is
<I>Galerucella birmanica</I><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">, a leaf
beetle</SPAN> (Ding et al. 2006, 2007), but so far no petitions have been
submitted to TAG.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H3></FONT></SPAN></H3>
<P></SPAN><SPAN class=718330013-16122013><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=3><FONT
face=Arial><STRONG>Thanks to reviewer Jill Swearingen<FONT color=#000080 size=5>
<FONT color=#0000ff size=3>and w</FONT></FONT><SPAN class=375453512-23112013>ork
group m<SPAN class=000494010-16122013>embers</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><SPAN
class=375453512-23112013><FONT size=3> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></STRONG><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita"><STRONG><FONT
size=3>Marc Imlay (Chair), Judy Hough-Goldstein,</FONT><SPAN
class=375453512-23112013><FONT size=3> </FONT><SPAN
class=803373010-02122013><FONT size=3> Robert</FONT> <FONT size=3>Tichenor,
</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"
lang=EN><STRONG><FONT size=3>William Bruckart</FONT><SPAN
class=375453512-23112013>,</SPAN></STRONG><SPAN class=375453512-23112013>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><SPAN
class=250273810-24102013><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Cambria; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita"><FONT
color=#0000ff size=3>and John Peter Thompson. </FONT>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN><BR></FONT><BR><FONT
face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG><FONT size=3>Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant
Council<BR>Biological Control Work Group<BR><BR>Motto<BR><BR>Biological control
agents help manage invasive plants beyond where we cut, pull and
spray.<BR><BR>Purpose and Scope<BR>The group will investigate biological control
agents relevant to the mid-Atlantic region and the eastern U.S., affecting
aquatic and terrestrial species and ecosystems and provide updates and status
reports to the board. We will ensure that the board is kept informed of
relevant research, concerns and approvals and provided with information needed
to obtain and use them.<BR><BR>Objectives<BR>1. Provide
review and current status of research on candidate biological control
agents.<BR>2. Provide land managers practical up-to date
information on how to obtain and use approved biological control
agents.<BR>3. Provide the latest information on current
distribution and success of available biological control agents in controlling
target, non-native invasive plants at the established
sites.<BR>4. Describe potential or actual measures of
damage by biological control agents to non-target plants at these
sites.<BR></FONT></STRONG><SPAN class=718330013-16122013><FONT
size=2> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><SPAN
class=718330013-16122013></SPAN>
<P><BR><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG>Background<BR>Our tool kit
for successful control of non-native invasive plants includes: preventing new
invasive species from coming into the United States; manually removing
established plants; treating infestations with carefully targeted herbicides;
and releasing host-specific biological control agents.</STRONG><SPAN
class=578512413-16122013><FONT size=2> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial>Classical biological control involves
the importation and release of host-specific natural enemies to help regulate
pest populations (Van Driesche et al. 2010). This strategy is used to manage
invasive non-native species that lack effective natural enemies in the region
where they have been introduced. In order to avoid direct damage to non-target
species, biological control agents must be highly host specific. Agents
are brought over after being tested for host specificity in their native range
and then tested in quarantine conditions in the United States. Protocol for
evaluating candidate plant pathogens (Berner and Bruckart 2005) is very thorough
and similar to that for development of insects and other
organisms.<BR><BR>Safety is paramount in the use of biological control agents,
particularly if they are of foreign origin. Agents are only approved for
release if testing indicates a very low likelihood of non-target effects, as
determined by the Technical Advisory Group for Biological Control Agents of
Weeds (TAG), a group of experts that report to USDA, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS). Because some agents introduced into the U.S. prior
to the 1980s were not completely host-specific, more value is now placed on
conservation of native species; and some of these agents would not be approved
for importation today (Van Wilgen et al. 2013). Although such species may
provide some control, we do not recommend deliberate release where they have not
yet dispersed on their own. The safety record in the current
regulatory environment is very good, including that of both insects (Pemberton
2000, Van Wilgen et al. 2013), and plant pathogens and other microbials (Barton
2004, 2012; Cook et al. 1996).<BR><BR><BR>Effectiveness of classical biological
control can vary, but of 49 invasive plant projects considered in a recent
review (Van Driesche et al. 2010), 27% (13) achieved complete control, 33% (16)
provided partial control, and 49% (24) were still in progress. Biological
control can be dramatic, but results often vary depending on weather and
ecological conditions, which can impose different effects on a biological
control agent, the target plant, and the competitive ability of the resident
community. Suppression of a target plant can also sometimes allow other
non-native invasive plants to take over, and therefore restoration planting may
be required in some situations (Cutting and Hough-Goldstein 2013; Lake et al.
2013).<BR><BR>Several invasive plant species in Mid-Atlantic natural areas
(Swearingen et al. 2010) have one or more host-specific insect species that have
been tested and approved for release, while others have had extensive studies
conducted on host-specific insects, with petitions for release submitted to TAG,
but with proposed releases still under review (TAG Petitions, 2013; see species
updates, below). For some species, biological control agents may already
exist in the U.S. in the form of native insects and pathogens that have adapted
to the invasive species over time, or non-native species that were accidentally
introduced. These are also included in the species updates,
below.<BR></P></FONT></STRONG>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG>Work Group Members<BR>Marc
Imlay, PhD (Chair)<BR>Conservation Biologist <BR>MNCPPC Prince Georges
County<BR>Park Ranger Office<BR>Natural and Historical Resources
Division<BR>Non-native Invasive Plant Control Coordinator<BR>(301) 442-5657
cell <BR>ialm@erols.com<BR><BR>William L. Bruckart III<BR>Research Plant
Pathologist<BR>USDA, ARS, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit
(FDWSRU)<BR>1301 Ditto Ave.<BR>Ft. Detrick, MD 21702<BR>Phone:
301/619-2846<BR>FAX:
301/619-2880<BR>william.bruckart@ars.usda.gov<BR></STRONG><SPAN
class=171392615-16122013><FONT size=2> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial>Judy
Hough-Goldstein<BR>Professor<BR>Dept. Entomology & Wildlife
Ecology<BR>University of Delaware<BR>531 South College Ave.<BR>Newark DE
19716-2160<BR>(302) 831-2529 phone<BR>jhough@udel.edu<BR><BR>John Peter
Thompson<BR>Principal Investigator, Bioeconomic Policy Analyst<BR>Chair, Prince
George's County Historic Preservation Commission<BR>President, National
Agricultural Research Alliance-Beltsville<BR>Upper Marlboro, MD<BR>(301) 440
8404<BR>petrus@msn.com<BR><BR>Robert H. Tichenor, Jr.<BR>National Policy Manager
Biological Control<BR>USDA APHIS PPQ Plant Health Programs<BR>4700 River Rd,
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737<BR>(301) 851-2198<BR></FONT></STRONG><A
title=blocked::mailto:Robert.H.Tichenor@aphis.usda.gov
href="mailto:Robert.H.Tichenor@aphis.usda.gov"><STRONG
title=blocked::mailto:Robert.H.Tichenor@aphis.usda.gov><FONT
title=blocked::mailto:Robert.H.Tichenor@aphis.usda.gov
face=Arial>Robert.H.Tichenor@aphis.usda.gov</FONT></STRONG></A><SPAN
class=718330013-16122013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial><STRONG> </STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=718330013-16122013><STRONG>Reviewer</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></P><SPAN
class=718330013-16122013>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: small" dir=ltr><FONT
size=3><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">JIL SWEARINGEN</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">IPM and Invasive Species
Coordinator</SPAN><BR><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">Integrated Pest
Management Program</SPAN></FONT></STRONG></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: small" dir=ltr><FONT
size=3><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">National Capital
Region</SPAN><BR></FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: small" dir=ltr><STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff>Center for Urban Ecology<BR></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><STRONG><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff>4598 MacArthur Blvd.,
N.W.<BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><FONT
size=3>Washington DC 20007</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><STRONG>202-339-8318<BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"></STRONG></FONT>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: small"><A
title=blocked::mailto:jil_swearingen@nps.gov
href="mailto:jil_swearingen@nps.gov" target=_blank><STRONG
title=blocked::mailto:jil_swearingen@nps.gov>jil_swearingen@nps.gov</STRONG></A><BR></DIV></DIV>
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