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Invasive species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Threat to Freshwater Ecosystems

Invasive species are one of the largest threats to our terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, as well as being a major global concern.

Invasive species can affect aquatic ecosystems directly or by affecting the land in ways that harm aquatic ecosystems.


Threat to Biodiversity
 
Invasive species represent the second leading cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity in aquatic environments worldwide. They also result in considerable economic effects through direct economic losses and management/control costs, while dramatically altering ecosystems supporting commercial and recreational activities.

Effects on aquatic ecosystems result in decreased native populations, modified water tables, changes in run-off dynamics and fire frequency, among other alterations. These ecological changes in turn impact many recreational and commercial activities dependent on aquatic ecosystems. Common sources of aquatic invasive species introduction include ballast water, aquaculture escapes, and accidental and/or intentional introductions, among others.

Ballast Water Carries Invasive Species

A major concern is the introduction of invasive species through ship ballast water carrying viable organisms from one waterbody to another. All mainland coasts of the United States - East, West, Gulf, and Great Lakes, as well as the coastal waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands - have felt the effects of successful aquatic species invasions.

Over two-thirds of recent non-native species introductions in marine and coastal areas are likely due to ship-borne vectors, and ballast water transport and discharge is the most universal and ubiquitous of these.

EPA is working in conjunction with our Federal and State partners to address this source of aquatic invasive species both domestically and internationally.

• Useful Links to Ballast Water Related Information

Solutions For Landscapers

We don't think about how our purchasing habits affect natural systems.  But heavy global traffic on the oceans directly affects the invasive species on both water and land.  In the water, we are finding clams, water plants are hitching a ride.

These same ships bring containers that contain seeds and eggs for snakes, spiders, even parrots that escape their confines and invade areas with little or no natural deterrents such as wildlife that eats them for food, or bacteria that control their growth and reproduction.

A simple solution is to buy local, native plants whenever possible.  Even tools and equipment bought locally or in the US is a move to reduce ocean traffic to a manageable level.

When international trade is essential, it is important to work with reputable distribution systems that have safeguards in place and have stringent control systems that are explained to you...and measured.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released a new water resources data management tool called the Integrated Water Resources Information System (IWRIS).

Web-based Geographic Information System for Water Management

IWRIS is a Web-based Geographic Information System application that allows users to access, integrate, query, and visualize multiple sets of data from diverse sources.

Some of the databases currently accessible through IWRIS include DWR’s Water Data Library, California Data Exchange Center (CDEC), United States Geological Survey streamflow data, Local Groundwater Assistance Grants (AB303), and data from local agencies. The system will be expanded with additional data sets and functionality in the future.

Improve Water Data Management for Integrated Regional Water Management

DWR developed IWRIS to improve water data management and scientific understanding in support of Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM).

The California Water Plan Update 2005 identifies IRWM as a key initiative to ensure reliable water supplies through the year 2030.

The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.

RESOURCE:
Integrated Water Resources Information System
Department of Water Resources
Division of Planning and Local Assistance
901 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.iwris.water.ca.gov

Indoor Water Conservation

Plumbing conservation is widely accepted and routinely called for in federal, state and local legislation, ordinances for new development and agency rebate programs.

These devices are making a measurable difference. For example, Los Angeles saw a 25 percent decrease in demand in the 1990s with a plumbing retrofit program funded by water agencies.

The major benefit of low-flow plumbing device programs is that they can be implemented without requiring a change in the behavior of end users.

Outdoor Water Conservation

Saving water indoors with low-flow plumbing is easy compared to controlling outdoor water waste. Yet the vast majority of household water flows outside.

A study conducted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) shows that 58 percent of residential water is applied to landscapes.  Gardening, recognized as the number one outdoor leisure activity, is growing in popularity as a national pastime.

According to a report published in the journal Environmental Management, some 40 million acres of the U.S. are covered in lawns, making turf the nation’s most irrigated crop.

And according to the American Water Works Association, most landscapes are overwatered by 30% to 300%, accounting for 80% of all landscape damage...and water waste!

SOLUTION:  Remove the TURF and replace it with DROUGHT TOLERANT GARDENS or NATIVE HABITAT, etc. that reduces water use.

See more research studies that can help you save water at the Independent Research Studies webpage provided by WeatherTRAK.

SOURCE:  WeatherTRAK.com

While the following story pertains to agriculture, the same concepts can be applied to urban management of soil...less surface disturbance means less dust and more stable growing environment.



Conservation tillage allows growers to reduce the number of times that tractors are run through their fields, for savings in time, energy and labor. The authors studied how the practice, with and without cover crops, affects yields, dust production and other factors in a cotton-tomato rotation.

Many tillage practices, however, can be a significant production cost, a cause of soil organic matter losses and a source of particulate matter emissions.

On average, 9 to 11 separate tillage related operations, each involving heavy equipment, are conducted during the fall through spring to prepare the soil for summer cropping in most current San Joaquin Valley cotton and tomato production fields. Deep tillage often is used in these systems to alleviate compaction that results from frequent tillage passes and harvest operations.

These operations account for up to 20% of production costs (Carter 1996), and require high energy and increased subsequent effort to prepare seed beds.

The adoption of conservation tillage (CT), or reduced tillage practices, may be a viable means for improving field-crop production systems if their profitability and capacity to conserve natural resources can be demonstrated.

In their many and varied forms, conservation tillage systems aim at reducing primary, intercrop tillage operations such as plowing, disking, ripping and mulching. As a result of these deliberate reductions in tillage, surface residues may accumulate and must be managed, and new techniques for crop establishment must be developed. Despite the potential attractiveness and utility of reduced-tillage production alternatives, conservation tillage adoption rates in agronomic row crops are very low in California, less than 2% (CTIC 2004).

Reasons for California’s low adoption rate include a lack of locally available conservation tillage equipment, inexperience with conservation tillage techniques, the predominance of surface, or gravity, irrigation systems and the fact that the tillage-intensive systems used in the San Joaquin Valley for several decades are generally quite productive (Mitchell et al. 2007).

RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

The researchers compared standard tillage (ST) and conservation tillage (CT) for tomato and cotton production systems, with winter cover crops (CC) and without (NO), in Five Points, Calif., from 1999 to 2003.

Conservation tillage reduced tractor trips across the field by 50% for tomatoes and 40% for cotton compared to standard tillage.

When averaged over the 2001 to 2003 period (when the conservation tillage systems were established), tomato yields in CTNO were 6 to 8 tons per acre higher than the other treatments.

In cotton, the STNO cotton yields during this period were the highest of all treatments and were 276 pounds per acre higher than the CTNO system.

In-field dust concentrations were also significantly reduced by conservation tillage.

Our results suggest that conservation tillage may be a viable alternative for managing tomato and cotton crops in the San Joaquin Valley, but that fine-tuning of the systems is needed.

by Jeffrey P. Mitchell, Randal J. Southard, Nicholaus M. Madden, Karen M. Klonsky, Juliet B. Baker, Richard L. DeMoura, William R. Horwath, Daniel S. Munk, Jonathan F. Wroble, Kurt J. Hembree, and Wesley W. Wallender

READ THE COMPLETE STORY: California Agriculture

Industry niches are making progress in developing green and sustainable business practices.  A  numer of national consulting agencies and audit organizations help associations develop best practices for their particular business and production traditions and conditions. 

Standards for Sustainable Agriculture
(includes ALL crops, including greenhouse and nursery crops).

On October 29-30, 2007, the Leonardo Academy and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) co-hosted a meeting to start soliciting stakeholder input on SCS-drafted language to create a national standard for producers and handlers (including retailers) who want to make a claim of engaging in sustainable agriculture (includes ALL crops, including greenhouse and nursery crops) practices.

Leonardo Academy works to increase sustainability throughout a broad range of projects and programs. From our LEED consulting services to facilitating the development of ANSI accredited sustainability standards to offsetting emissions through our Cleaner & Greener® Program, the Leonardo Academy works diligently to make everyday living more sustainable for people, businesses and the environment.

Leonardo Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1997 with a vision of advancing sustainability and putting the competitive market to work on improving the environment. Leonardo Academy is a Think and Do Tank. We develop and distribute strategies, guidance, metrics, standards, education, and information on how to increase sustainability. We also help companies, organizations, families, and individuals successfully promote, encourage, and implement sustainability. Our integrated approach lets us make sustainability very practical to our clients.

The intent of  Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is to get these draft standards adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) no later than April 2010.

OFA, in conjunction with other national associations, will make every effort to represent member interests in these discussions, because these standards may have a direct impact on how you operate in the future.

The Ohio State Florist Association was formed in 1929, when graduates of The Ohio State University decided to meet each year to discuss and share current issues and technology.

Current Standards - DRAFT

Highlights from the Sustainable Agriculture Framework Elements

The sustainable agriculture framework set forth in this Standard addresses a spectrum of issues
that can be grouped under three categories:

Environmental Sustainability

- Sustainable Crop Production
- Resource Conservation & Energy Efficiency
- Ecosystem Protection
- Integrated Waste Management

Social & Economic Sustainability

- Fair Labor Practices
- Community Benefits

Product Integrity

- Product Quality
- Product Safety and Purity

Life-Cycle Scope

The sustainable agriculture framework addresses the full breadth of environmental, social, and quality issues associated with agricultural crops, encompassing a “life-cycle” scope of assessment — i.e., from seed to store. This scope ensures that potential impacts throughout the production and handling chain of custody can be taken into account, including both direct and indirect operations (e.g., farming practices, storage, conditioning,
shipping, packaging, distribution, display), and ensures that agricultural operations are evaluated on a level playing field. This scope of assessment is consistent with international life-cycle assessment guidance.

The Standard identifies crop production practices that: 1) build and maintain a
healthy agro-ecosystem, based on healthy soil structure and functioning; 2) preferentially
employ biological, mechanical, and cultural methods to control pest and disease vectors; 3)
minimize agrochemical inputs, utilizing reduced risk or US National Organic Program
(NOP) permitted agrochemical options; and 4) phase out those agrochemical inputs that
pose significant, recognized acute and chronic risks to human health or ecotoxic risks to the
environment.

The Standard identifies practices that protect the surrounding ecology including but
not limited to waterways, riparian and wetlands habitats, high ecological value habitats and
species, and other biologically and culturally significant areas.

The Standard identifies practices that optimize the use of water resources, reduce
excessive packaging, and maximize the recycling of both agricultural and non-agricultural
wastes through composting and other material recycling protocols.

The Standard provides a framework and guidelines for strategies that minimize
overall packaging while maintaining the quality and appearance of the product.

The Standard provides a life-cycle impact assessment tool that encourages producers
and handlers to seek the most energy efficient methods for growing, transporting and
handling crops by supporting local/regional crop production and distribution of agricultural
products and by minimizing fossil fuel use.

The Standard addresses the issue of global climate change related to agricultural
production by providing a method to account for greenhouse gas emissions through the
product life-cycle (from seed to store) from all direct and indirect sources. The Standard
establishes specific greenhouse gas reduction goals, and sets an objective maximum carbon
storage level per hectare while retaining overall productivity and yields.

The Standard defines practices that provide a safe and equitable workplace for
agricultural workers

The Standard provides guidelines and requirements for producers to support local
communities through preferential purchasing, hiring, and improvements/development.

The Standard identifies practices that yield products with high nutritional value and
meet national organic standards for purity in terms of pesticide residues and contaminants.

The Standard identifies minimum acceptable food safety practices to protect edible
crops from food pathogens during the chain of custody.

The Standard establishes quality assurance and traceability requirements designed
to ensure that sustainably grown products are properly handled throughout the chain of
custody and that they can be traced back to their source.

Although the Standard is built upon a life-cycle impact assessment scope of assessment, it does not provide requirements for quantifying impact indicators in accordance with international life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) guidance. For example, issues such as impacts from production and delivery of pesticides are not addressed within the scope of the Standard.


SOURCE:
Ohio Floral Association
OFA 2130 Stella Court
Columbus, Ohio 43215
phone: 614-487-1117
http://www.ofa.org