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Invasive Species

An invasive species is both non-native to the ecosystem in which it is found and capable of causing environmental, economic, or human harm because of its ability to spread rapidly and compete with native species. This means that not all non-native species are considered invasive. It also is possible for a species to be invasive in one ecosystem but not in another.

Invasive species are often successful in their new ecosystems because they can reproduce and grow rapidly, or because their new environment lacks any natural predators or pests. As a result, invasive species can threaten native species and disrupt important ecosystem processes. Plants, fish, insects, mammals,birds, and diseases can all be considered invasive.

To learn more about the characteristics of invasive species, check out Current Invasive Species Research at the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station

A field of 3-year-old Scotch broom that developed after mature Douglas-fir trees were harvested and soil disturbed for future development in Olympia, Washington. Photo credit: Tim Harrington.
A stand of trees in Anthony Lakes, Oregon, with multiple dead and dying trees from a wooly adelgid infestation. Photo credit: Kate Hrinkevich.
A huhu beetle (Prionoplus reticularis) in New Zealand, which is similar to the three invasive beetle species studied by Bruce Marcot to track invasive insect activity. Photo credit: Bruce Marcot.
A trap used to collect invasive beetle species with golden-haired bark beetles (Hylurgus ligniperda) caught inside. Photo credit: Bruce Marcot.
A red turpentine beetle entrance hole and resin tube on a fire-injured ponderosa pine in the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area near Kettle Falls, Washington. Photo credit: James Dollins.
Multiple red turpentine beetle attacks near the base of a fire-injured ponderosa pine in the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area near Kettle Falls, Washington. Photo credit: James Dollins.
A red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens), the largest bark beetle in North America, captured in Sherman Creek Wildlife Area, near Kettle Falls, Washington.
Cheatgrass invasion following a prescribed burn in a cattle grazing enclosure with green clumps of native bluebunch wheatgrass in the foreground, located in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. Photo credit: Michelle Day.
A wooly adelgid infestation on a tree stem near Anthony Lakes, Oregon. Photo credit: Kate Hrinkevich.
Last updated March 28, 2023
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