May 7th, 7pm
Climate-smart gardening to reduce plant invasions and
support resilient ecosystems
Surprisingly, native plants are a minority in many garden centers and gardens. As a result, most home gardeners and landscapers unknowingly use predominantly non-native plants.
Unfortunately, this practice is known to lead to the introduction and propagation of invasive species, which go on to cause harm to the area ecosystems. In the context of climate change, current garden practices also miss an opportunity to support the translocation of native plants into cooler climates.
Dr. Bradley will describe how status quo gardening perpetuates harmful invasions, including an exploration of how state regulations fail to stop the ongoing introduction of well-known invasive plants. Dr. Bradley will promote an alternative, climate-smart native plant gardening system, which can potentially improve the tenacity of native species and communities into the future.
The Speaker
Bethany Bradley is a Professor of Biogeography and Spatial Ecology in the Department of
Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Codirector for NE
CASC. She holds a Ph.D. in Geological Science from Brown University, and a B.A. in Geology from
Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Her research has a strong focus on terrestrial plant invasions,
with a goal of understanding how invasive plant distributions, abundance, and impact vary spatially.
Bethany also leads the Northeast Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change (RISCC)
Management network, which addresses the question of how we can better manage for upcoming
biological invasions in light of climate change.