Vermont’s new Regulated Introduced Plant Species List

Today, Vermont has officially adopted a new rule for how problematic plants are regulated. This list was previously called the Noxious Weed Quarantine, and many may have known it as “the invasive species list” or something similar.

The new name is more appropriate for a few reasons. One, it broadens the applicability for the regulation by covering more plant species beyond the “really bad” introduced plants that cause maximum economic and ecological damage. There are now multiple Tiers (1, 2, and 3) of species (see below). Two, the change in language reminds us all that these regulated plants were all introduced by people.

Recognizing that we - in the broad sense - introduced these plant species puts the responsibility for managing them back on our shoulders. The plants themselves are not evil; they are problematic here on this continent because they now exist in a place where they lack predators, disease, and effective competition.

One of the major reasons for the Rule update was to get the plant list out of the regulation. Prior to this update, the list sat within the regualtion itself, meaning that the Vermont Legislature would have to update the regulation every time a species needed to be added. This is one of the reasons the “quarantine list” was not updated for 14 years. Now, the list is managed by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and will be updated by a group of experts as often as is necessary.

Find the new Rule, Regulated Plant List, and Watch List here.

Tiers explained

From VT Agency of Ag website:

The Quarantine List is organized into three tiers, reflecting the risks each species poses to agriculture, native plants and Vermont’s ecosystems.  These tiers are based on both a species' current distribution status in Vermont and what management can realistically accomplish: 

• Tier 1 species are not yet present in Vermont. The goal is to keep these plant species from being introduced into Vermont.  

• Tier 2 species have been introduced and have limited distribution in Vermont. Active management may still make a meaningful difference with prompt action.  

• Tier 3 species are broadly established across Vermont - this includes  knotweed and garlic mustard.  Local management remains ecologically meaningful, especially to protect areas where displacement of indigenous or native species would otherwise occur.