WSSA SAYS BIOFUEL BEST PRACTICES ARE IMPERATIVE TO PROTECT AGAINST PLANT INVADERS

Weed Science Society of America
June 18, 2012

The biofuels industry is hitting its stride, with both small farms and large-scale plantations producing renewable crops that can be converted to energy. But scientists with the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) caution that many of these crops also are known as invasive weeds in some of the regions where they are planted. That means growers must exercise caution in order to protect our natural ecosystems.

"We don't yet have sufficient research and risk models to predict the environmental impact of these new crops in the field," says Jacob Barney, Ph.D., assistant professor of Invasive Plant Ecology at Virginia Tech. "In many ways it's a large-scale experiment, with few regulations or policy guidelines. Voluntary precautions taken by stakeholders are virtually our only line of defense."

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