Keeping Invasive Trees Out of Ohio

Invasive species of all kinds can wreak havoc on local ecosystems. Whether the invaders are plants or animals, they can throw nature’s delicate balance out of whack, disturbing the food chain, blocking light or resources from reaching and nourishing native species, allowing regionally occurring pests to flourish out of control, or even contributing to the spread and severity of floods and wildfires. Often, once this damage gets going, it can be incredibly difficult or impossible to reverse, and local species can be pushed out of the area or lost entirely. For decades, not a lot of attention was paid to invasive species, especially when it came to flora. But we now recognize the potentially catastrophic consequences of allowing invasive species to thrive. It’s in everyone’s best interests to do what they can to curb the spread of invasive species and protect those native to our area.

Ohio is Tackling Invasive Species

Ohio’s Department of Agriculture has passed a law aimed at keeping invasive species out of Ohio. A list of illegal species now exists, and officials will be inspecting garden stores and nurseries to make sure nobody is selling these forbidden flora and fauna.

An article in the Columbus Dispatch goes into detail about the origins of the law and the ways it will be enforced.

To prevent you from getting into trouble, we want to publish the full list, so that you know exactly what to avoid. Tree service and removal companies in Cincinnati and throughout the state will be on the lookout as well.

Will I Get in Trouble if I Have an Invasive Species in my Yard?

The short answer is no. The goal of the new law is to curb the sale and distribution of invasive species, not to punish people who may have had an invasive tree planted in their yard decades ago, or homeowners who may have had an invasive tree species sprout in their yard as it spreads though the state. So, no, you don’t need to go out and chop down any trees in your yard that you suspect aren’t native species. But if you are looking to plant new trees in your yard, or you’re contemplating whether to have a tree removed, it’s a good idea to be informed of which tree species are on the list of trees to avoid.

Which are the Tree Troublemakers?

Here are the 38 species which are no longer allowed to be sold or distributed in Ohio:

1. Tree-of-heaven, or “Ailanthus altissima”
2. Garlic mustard, or “Alliaria petiolate”
3. Common barberry, or “berberis vulgaris”
4. Flowering rush, or “butomus umbellatus”
5. Oriental bittersweet, or “celastrus orbiculatus”
6. Spotted knapweed, or “centaurea stoebe”
7. Common teasel, or “dipsacus fullonum”
8. Cutleaf teasel, or “dipsacus laciniatus”
9. Brazilian Elodea, or “Egeria densa”
10. Russian olive, or “elaeagnus angustifolia”
11. Autumn olive, or “elaeagnus umbellate”
12. Hairy willow herb, or “epilobium hirsutum”
13. Glossy buckthorn, or “frangula alnus”
14. Giant hogweed, or “heracleum mantegazzianum” (made famous in a 1971 Genesis song)
15. Dame’s rocket, or “hesperies matronlis”
16. Hydrilla, or “hydrilla verticillate”
17. European frog-bit, or “hydrocharis morsus-ranae”
18. Japanese honeysuckle, or “lonicera japonica”
19. Amur honeysuckle, or “lonicera maackii”
20. Morrow’s honeysuckle, or “lonicera morrowii”
21. Tatarian honeysuckle, or “lonicera tatarica”
22. Purple loosestrife, or “lythrum salicaria”
23. European wand loosestrife, or “lythrum virgatum”
24. Japanese stiltgrass, or “microstegium vimineum”
25. Parrotfeather, or “myriophyllum aquaticum”
26. Eurasian water-millfoil, or “myriophyllum spicatum”
27. Yellow floating heart, or “nymphoides peltate”
28. Common reed, or “phragmites Australia”
29. Curly-leaved pondweed, or “potamogeton crispus”
30. Kudzu, or “pueraria montana”
31. Callery pear, or “pyrus calleryana”
32. Fig buttercup / lesser celandine, or “ranunculus ficaria”
33. European buckthorn, or “Rhamnus cathartica”
34. Multiflora rose, or “rosa multiflora”
35. Water chestnut, or “trapa natans”
36. Narrow-leaves cattail, or “typha angustifolia”
37. Hybrid cattail, or “typha x glauca”
38. Black dog-strangling vine, or “vincetoxicum nigrum”

Whether or not your existing trees are on this list, we can still give them proper care and help to maintain them – we just won’t help you plant any of these species! But if you’re looking for a partner in your tree health and maintenance, give us a call here at Tree Images, and we’ll let you know how we can help your trees to thrive (especially our native Ohio species)! Give us a call for all of your tree pruning and tree care needs. Stay safe, keep these invaders out of the Buckeye state, and remain law-abiding!