Invasive Plants: Identification, Issues and Ecology

Online: Tuesdays, September 17 and 24, 3-5 p.m.
In-Person: Friday, October 4, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Invasive species are considered highly undesirable by botany, ecology, horticulture, and conservation professionals—and for good reason. In this three-part course, Amanda Devine, Regional Land Steward for Maine Coast Heritage Land Trust, will identify the basic ecological problems surrounding these aggressive, tenacious plants. We’ll discuss the complicated, and sometimes political, issues, and how a plant becomes labeled “invasive.”

After two thorough online sessions, Amanda will guide students in a field study to become better acquainted with some of New England’s most common invasive species. You’ll leave with strategies for management and prevention.

Class Level: Intermediate – Advanced

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Suggested reading: Maine Invasive Plants Field Guide, Maine Natural Areas Program

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Instructor Bio:

Amanda Devine is Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Regional Stewardship Manager for Southern Maine. She has worked on the ground in invasive plant management for 13 years and has a master of science from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program. She lives in Freeport, where she spends her free time trying to rid her woodlot of glossy buckthorn.