Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Workshop Report

Abstract

The first Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Workshop (initially called the Northeast Invasive Species and Climate Change, or NISCC, workshop) was held on July 21, 2016, from 10:00 am-4:00 pm in the Morrill Science Center II at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. It was convened by the Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center (NE CSC), the New York Invasive Species Research Institute (NY ISRI), and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) as the first step in a conversation to address the question "How can we manage for upcoming biological invasions in the light of climate change?". The objective of the workshop was to bring together a small group of climate scientists and invasive species scientists, managers, and policy makers from New York and New England to promote a two-way dialogue to 1) review the state of current research on the topic; 2) share regional knowledge about current management strategies; and 3) identify specific information needs of managers surrounding invasive species and climate change.

The workshop was attended by 19 individuals representing nine northeastern state/municipal natural resource agencies, the North Atlantic LCC, the US Forest Service Northern Research Station, The Nature Conservancy, the USA National Phenology Network, academic institutions, the NE CSC, NY ISRI, and UMass.