Invasive species are rapidly becoming a threat to the world’s biota. In the United States alone, non-native species are causing environmental damage and economic losses estimated to exceed $100 billion per year (Pimentel et al., 2000). Morse et al. (1995) estimate that approximately 5,000 plant species that have escaped from cultivation have subsequently invaded natural ecosystems in the United States. One of these species, leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.), entered North America from Eurasia in 1829 (Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), 2000). Some years later, during the Homestead Period, it found its way into North Dakota and subsequently has spread throughout the upper Midwest and northern Rocky Mountain States, causing estimated annual losses of revenue in excess of $200 million. Leafy spurge causes severe ecosystem degradation due to its aggressive growth relative to that of native flora, its ability to invade non-infested habitats, and its persistence once established. It forms nearly monotypic stands and has the capacity to alter ecological processes and visitor perceptions of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the surrounding region (Trammell, 1994).

Presented at the 2002 AVIRIS Workshop, JPL-NASA, Pasadena, California, March 5-8th, 2002

Peer reviewed