Sweetwater Creek Watershed Mgmt. Plan 2007 Update--Part 2

EXISTING NATURAL SYSTEMS CONDITIONS
• Decrease in the ecological value of important habitats for native fish and wildlife
• Clogging of lakes and waterways and other wetlands, impeding wildlife movements
Exotic Plant Species Control Programs
The FDEP’s Bureau of Invasive Plant Management is the lead agency in Florida responsible for
coordinating and funding two statewide programs to control invasive aquatic and upland plants
on public conservation lands and waterways. Florida’s aquatic plant management program,
established in the early 1900s, is one of the oldest invasive species removal programs. With the
addition of the Upland Invasive Plant Management Program under Florida Statute 369.252, the
state addresses the need for a statewide coordinated approach to the upland exotic and
invasive plant problem. Additionally, Hillsborough County’s Land Development Code requires
the removal of exotic species for newly developed areas. The Exotic Pest Plant Council (EPPC)
has played a major role in identifying exotic species that pose a threat to natural flora.
The EPPC was established in 1984 for the purpose of focusing attention on:
1. impacts to biodiversity from exotic pest plants;
2. impacts of exotic plants to the integrity of native plant community composition and
function;
3. habitat loss due to exotic plant infestations;
4. impacts of exotic plants to endangered species primarily due to habitat loss and
alteration (e.g., Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow);
5. the need to prevent habitat loss and alteration by comprehensive management for exotic
plants;
6. the socioeconomic impacts of exotic pest plants (e.g., increased wildfire intensity and
frequency in Melaleuca);
7. changes in the seriousness of exotic pest plants and to indicate which are the worst
problems; and
8. informing and educating resource managers about which species deserve to be
monitored, and to help managers set priorities for management.
The Council’s Florida chapter, the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FEPPC), compiles a list of
Florida's most invasive exotic plant species every few years, grouping them according to degree
of invasiveness. The most recent compilation can be found at the end of this chapter. The
FEPPC has also developed a database map for the Noxious and Exotic Weed Task Team of
Category I species throughout the state. A review of this database resulted in the list of FEPPC
Category I species occurrence within Hillsborough County, which are described individually
below.
This list is based on the definitions of invasive exotic species made by the FEPPC Committee:
• Category I are exotic pest plants that invade and disrupt Florida’s native plant
communities
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Sweetwater Creek Watershed Management Plan