In its pilot year, two crew leads and one seasonal crew member successfully treated more than 120 acres and surveyed an additional 330 acres across the forest. Sites included the Catheys Creek Watershed, Davidson River Watershed and Kuykendall and North Mills River campgrounds. 

Pisgah is among the most biodiverse and most visited national forests in the United States and boasts globally unique ecological hotspots. These biodiverse areas — ranging from mountain bogs and heath balds to temperate rainforests — support rare plants and animals.

Unfortunately, invasive plant infestations have developed acres of monocultures in Pisgah’s forested understories, along riparian zones, and into forest canopies. Unmitigated, invasive plants negatively affect soil and water quality, hydrologic function and geochemistry of streams and river systems, and overall watershed health. They crowd out native plant populations leading to a series of declines in dependent species of insects, birds and many aquatic organisms. 

The Invasive Plant Management Crew is moving forward into different phases of management in 2025. They will combat reemergent invasive plant seedbanks and resprouts while allowing native plants to re-colonize and naturally move back into the management area. They will also expand their geographic footprint to cover more of the forest. Their work will increase habitat quality for wildlife and other foodwebs and help safeguard and improve water quality and visitor experiences. 

The Pisgah Conservancy’s Invasive Plant Management Crew is a partnership program with the U.S. Forest Service that receives support from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Naventure, and donors to The Pisgah Conservancy. To learn more about the Invasive Plant Management Crew, and ways to help Pisgah, visit pisgahconservancy.org.