USGS Partners with NASA to Predict Non-native Plant Invasions

 

Invasive plant species are a major threat to the integrity of native plant communities, and often threaten rare and endangered plants. Predicting invasive plant behavior in vulnerable areas is key to controlling them. USGS scientist Tom Stohlgren and NASA scientists John Schnase and Jim Smith have initiated a 3-year cooperative agreement with colleagues at Colorado State University to substantially improve predictive modeling capabilities for invasive plant species. Beginning in February 2002, new rapid spatial analysis techniques will be combined with high-performance computing capabilities for broad applications in “ecological forecasting” of the invasion process. Funded by the Computational Technologies Program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the study’s test data sets will focus on, and immediately benefit, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and burn areas in Los Alamos, NM.

 For more information contact: Tom Stohlgren

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