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

States:
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
Kentucky
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Minnesota
Iowa
Missouri
+19 more
Status:
Ongoing

Overview

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.

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
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)" Feb. 20th, 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.
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.
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
Allen, Jenica. More than the sum of their parts? Interactions of Invasive Species and Other Environmental Change. NE CASC Webinar Series. November 15, 2023.
Evans, Annette. How invasive plant populations may change given projected climate change. New Zealand Weed Coalition seminar. January 16, 2023.
Evans, Annette. Invasive species and climate change. Oh My! CASC Network staff meeting. January 25, 2023.
Bradley, Bethany. Integrating Climate Change into Invasive Plant Policy and Management. New York Invasive Species Advisory Council. February 7, 2023.
Bradley, Bethany. Integrating Climate Change into Invasive Plant Policy and Management. Canadian Invasive Species Forum. February 9, 2023.
Evans, Annette. Shifting hotspots: climate change projected to drive contractions and expansions of invasive plant abundance ranges. Canadian Invasive Species Forum. February 9, 2023.
Evans, Annette. Some like it hot: invasive species management in a changing climate. University of Connecticut EEB Department Graduate Student Symposium. Graduate Invited Speaker. February 25, 2023.
+39 more

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.