Increasingly, Virginians are becoming aware of the environmental and economic costs of plant species that spread and take over our private and public lands -- effectively killing off habitat necessary for our wildlife, greatly damaging the natural beauty of our forests, and rapidly stealing from us our natural heritage.  Many of us spend immeasurable hours removing invasive vines and shrubs in our own yards and in natural areas in the hope that we can prevent the permanent destruction of our trees and woods and leave some of our natural heritage for posterity.  But if these harmful plants continue to be sold, millions of hours and dollars will continue to be focused on invasive plant removal efforts. 

Unfortunately, not everyone is yet aware of the problems that these plants can cause and, due to a lack of awareness, many people will continue to purchase and plant them.  Of course, plant nurseries sell these plants because if they do not, their competitors will.  To create a level playing field for nurseries and to begin to stop the damage that invasive plants cause, it is essential that we end the sale of those plants that scientists have determined to cause environmental harm.  

There are thousands of different plants, both native and non-native, that are beautiful in landscaping.  Many people simply are not aware of them, because they ask for those plants that have become popular in recent generations.  An expansion of the list of invasive plants will not hurt nurseries, because people will not stop planting yards and gardens.  Those who might have planted an invasive plant will simply purchase and plant alternatives. 

The approach that Virginia uses to create its list of noxious weeds is outdated.  For the future of our Virginia, we need to update that approach to include the plants that DCR recognizes as invasive. Please adopt the VA DCR list as the basis for our noxious weed list.