Regional Effort on Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the information needs of invasive species managers in the context of climate change. RISCC Management is collaboratively led by the Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center, the New York Invasive Species Research Institute, and the University of Massachusetts to address the question “How can we manage for upcoming biological invasions in the light of climate change?” The working group combines climate and invasive species scientists with invasive species managers and policy makers from the northeast to promote a two-way dialogue to 1) share regional knowledge about current management strategies and scientific insights; and 2) identify and address planning and information needs of managers related to invasive species and climate change.

New Focal Research

Prioritizing range-shifting invasive plants for monitoring and management
Through discussions with invasive species managers during two working group meetings and one two-day symposium in 2017, it is clear that managers want to develop climate-smart monitoring and management strategies, but lack critical information. Gaps in information include response of range-shifting invasive plants to changing climate parameters. This project will use an environmental impacts assessment to prioritize the threat of range-shifting invasive plants, which will be used to inform proactive management strategies.

Tools And Products

RISCC Website

A website built to connect climate and invasive species scientists with invasive species managers and policy makers from the northeast to promote a two-way dialogue.

RISCC Website RISCC Website

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RISCC Management Challenges

Management challenges are two-page syntheses of topics related to invasive species and climate change

RISCC Management Challenges RISCC Management Challenges

Data Sheets for Invasive Species Assessments

These data sheets are an adaptation of the IUCN supported Environmental Impacts Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) protocol for assessment of impacts of invasive species. The data sheets provide a standard format for reporting and summarizing invasive species impacts.

Data Sheets for Invasive Species Assessments Data Sheets for Invasive Species Assessments

Publications

Lopez, B., Allen, J. M., Dukes, J. S., Lenoir, J., Vilà, M., Blumenthal, D. M., et al. (2022). Global environmental changes more frequently offset than intensify detrimental effects of biological invasions. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 119(22). http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117389119

Beaury, E. M., Bradley, B. A., & Patrick, M. (2021). Invaders for sale: the ongoing spread of invasive species by the plant trade industry. Frontiers In Ecology And The Environment. http://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2392

Morelli, T. L., Brown-Lima, C., Allen, J. M., Beaury, E. M., Fusco, E. J., Barker-Plotkin, A., et al. (2021). Translational invasion ecology: bridging research and practice to address one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Biological Invasions. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02584-7 (Original work published 04/2021AD)

Beaury, E. M., Fusco, E. J., Jackson, M. R., Laginhas, B. B., Morelli, T. L., Allen, J. M., et al. (2020). Incorporating climate change into invasive species management: insights from managers. Biological Invasions, 22, 233-252. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02087-6 (Original work published Jan-02-2020)

Rockwell-Postel, M., Bradley, B., & Laginhas, B. B. (2020). Supporting proactive management in the context of climate change: Prioritizaing range-shifting invasive plants based on impact. Biological Invasions, 22. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/nrc_faculty_pubs/421/

Wallingford, P. D., Morelli, T. L., Allen, J. M., Beaury, E. M., Blumenthal, D. M., Bradley, B., et al. (2020). Adjusting the lens of invasion biology to focus on the impacts of climate-driven range shifts. Nature Climate Change, 10(5), 398-405. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0768-2

Beaury, E. M., Finn, J. T., Corbin, J. D., Barr, V., & Bradley, B. (2019). Biotic resistance to invasion is ubiquitous across ecosystems of the U.S. Ecology Letters. http://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13446 (Original work published Jan-12-2021)

Pasquarella, V. J., Elkinton, J. S., & Bradley, B. (2018). Extensive gypsy moth defoliation in Southern New England characterized using Landsat satellite observations. Biological Invasions. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1778-0 (Original work published Jun-11-2018)

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Webinar Recordings

V.J. Pasquarella, "How open access to the Landsat archive is changing how we map and monitor ecosystem dynamics: Case studies from Southern New England", NE CASC spring webinar series. Feb. 28th, 2018
B.A. Bradley, "Implications of climate change for invasive species", Nov. 8th, 2017

Presentations and Webinars

Fusco, E.J. "Implications for climate change + invasive species and the NE RISCC Network", Vermont Forest Health Meeting, April 22, 2020

B.A. Bradley, RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species, Maine Terrestrial Invasive Plants Scientific Advisory Committee. May 2019.

B.A. Bradley, RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species, New Hampshire Invasive Pest Council (NHIPC). April 2019

B.A. Bradley and E.J. Fusco gave a presentation at the Northeast Natural History Conference. April 14, 2019.

B.A. Bradley and E.M. Beaury , Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference. April 14 - April 16, 2019.

B.A. Bradley, RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG; April, 2019)

T. L. Morelli, semi-annual meeting of the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, "How climate change could affect farming in New England", Hudson, MA. February 9, 2019.

B.A. Bradley, RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species to the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group (MIPAG). December 2018.

V.J. Pasquarella , Special session on gypsy moth at the Entomological Society of America's 2018 Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC. November 2018.

V.J. Pasquarella, "Using Landsat Time Series to Characterize Forest Insect Invasions: Case Studies from Southern New England", Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s Innovations in Invasive Species Prevention and Management Summit. July 9, 2018.

B.A. Bradley, Invasive species & climate change, Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council. April 4, 2018. Martha's Vineyard Dukes District. May 8, 2018.

B.A. Bradley "Using impact assessments to prioritize range shifting invasive plants", 2nd annual RISCC symposium, July 12, 2018.

V.J. Pasquarella, "The return of the gypsy moth: Mapping and monitoring recent defoliation across Southern New England", Mass Audubon Staff Natural History Conference. Mar. 27, 2018.

V.J. Pasquarella, Forest Insect Invasions and Outbreaks, Harvard Forest Ecology Symposium, Feb. 20, 2018.

B.A. Bradley, " Identifying future invaders: Predicting range shifts with climate change ", Harvard Forest Ecology Symposium 20th meeting, Mar. 20, 2018

B.A. Bradley, "The effect of climate change on species invasions", 2017 RISCC Management Symposium.

V.J. Pasquarella, "A comparison of approaches for mapping forest composition using FIA plot data and Landsat spectral-temporal features", 2017 FIA Stakeholder's Meeting, Park City, UT.

V.J. Pasquarella, "Monitoring forest pest disturbances with remote sensing", 2017 RISCC Management Symposium.

Osgood, M., Bryan, A., Brown-Lima, C., "Communicating Climate/Invasion Science", 1st Annual RISCC Management Symposium, 27 July 2017.

V.J. Pasquarella, Association of American Geographers 2017 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA: "Improved mapping of forest composition using spectral-temporal Landsat features". April 5-8, 2017.

V.J. Pasquarella, "Using Landsat time series for large-scale mapping of invasive species distributions" The 17th Annual National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Feb 27- March 3, 2017.

V.J. Pasquarella and H. Broadley on behalf of Prof. J. Elkinton, Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch meeting, "Update on gypsy moth outbreak in New England”, Newport, RI. March 21, 2017.

T.L. Morelli, Northeast State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinators Meeting in Amherst, MA, "The connections between invasive species and climate change". March 21, 2017.

V.J. Pasquarella, 2016-2017 gypsy moth outbreak, Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee (WSCAC) monthly meeting. February 14, 2017.

T.L. Morelli, Annual meeting of the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, Palmer, MA, "Climate Change and the Backyard Gardener". Jan 21, 2017.

Bradley, B.A. & T.L. Morelli "Managing interactions between invasive species and climate change", AFWA Climate Adaptation Webinar, June 8, 2020

Webinar on managing Microstegium vimineum (a major problem further south, becoming more problematic in the Northeast), with L. Flory (UF) and A. Sirois (TNC), May 1, 2019.

A. Rosemartin (NPN) and T. Trotter (USFS), Including phenology in invasive species treatment decisionmaking, "Timing is Everything: Customizing Phenological Information for Invasive Species Management". April 9, 2019.

T.L. Morelli, National Invasive Species Council Secretariat initiated monthly Community of Practice call, "Empowering well-informed decisions: Making invasion science accessible for policy and management (S&T)." February 20, 2019.

T.L. Morelli, Semi-annual meeting of the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, "How climate change could affect farming in New England," Hudson, MA. February 9, 2019.

B.A. Bradley, Monthly webinar of the New York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species. February, 2019.

RISCC hosted a webinar on January 18 by Dr. J. Allen on "How do invasive species interact with other forms of global change?"

B.A. Bradley, Invasive species & climate change, National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW) webinar Feb. 28th; 2018 Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMA) webinar Mar. 28th, 2018

B.A, Bradley, RISCC activities as well as impacts assessments for range shifting species, New York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM). February 2019.

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Workshops

“Building a regional collaboration of Northeast state invasive species councils”. February 10, 2020; Amherst, MA

B.A. Bradley, "Brainstorming a review of paper of invasive and climate change in the Northeast", 2017 RISCC Management Symposium.

T.L. Morelli, "Emerging threats -- managing climate migrants", 2017 RISCC Management Symposium.

V.J. Pasquarella, Workshop on "Brainstorming multi-scale, multi-species interactions", 2017 RISCC Management Symposium.

A. Bryan and B.A. Bradley, Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Workshop Presentation: "Implications of Climate Change for Invasive Species", UMass Amherst. July 2, 2016.

Recognition

2021 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies presented its 2021 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award to RISCC in recognition of its exemplary work "in reducing climate-related threats and promoting adaptation of the nation’s natural resources.”

2021 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award 2021 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award

News

Ecological Landscape Alliance: “Proactive weeding of our gardens of the future”. May 15, 2019 republish of Wild Ones Journal (31) 4, 2018.
North American Native Plant Society Blazing Star: “Proactive weeding of our gardens of the future”. republish of Wild Ones Journal (31) 4, 2018.
Hampshire Gazette: Environmental Scientists gather at UMass to discuss climate change, invasive species July 27, 2017.
Channel 22 News: Warm wather helping in growth of invasive plant species July 27, 2017.