Proposed Amendment to the Rule
We are asking the Department of Natural Resources move forward with an Amendment to the Indiana Terrestrial Invasive Plant Rule that went into effect in 2020. The Amendment adds twelve highly invasive plant species to the rule that bans their sale, distribution, and transport in Indiana (312 IAC 18-3-25). Invasive species listed in the Amendment are Callery pear, Norway maple, sweet autumn clematis, burning bush, moneywort, Chinese maiden grass, wild parsnip, Fine Line buckthorn, spreading hedge parsley, Japanese hedge parsley, and highbush cranberry.
Call to Action
You have at least two ways to further the cause:
- Sign a petition to Governor Holcomb to help pass the amendment
- Enlist an organization to sign on to a letter to Governor Holcomb
Look here for updates on the process to get the amendment passed.
About the Rule
The Indiana Terrestrial Invasive Plant Rule was signed by Governor Holcomb and published on March 18, 2019, and went into effect April 18, 2020.
The rule states with respect to the 44 plant species included on the rule:
“A person must not:
(1) Sell, offer or grow for sale, gift, barter, exchange, or distribute a species;
(2) Transport or transfer a species; or
(3) Introduce a species.
(4) Subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection are effective one year after the effective date of this rule.”
Note that selling, offering, distributing and transport prohibitions were delayed for a year to give nurseries some time to sell down their stock. This was an important component of the rule to minimize economic loss to nurseries that grow and/or sell the few commercially available species that are on the list. Currently there is no mandate to eradicate existing plantings in nurseries, landscapes, or forested areas.
Pocket Guide to Regulated Plants
This 4”x 6” 88-page field guide covers 49 regulated terrestrial invasive plants in Indiana, with photos and descriptions to identify the plants and information on how to tell them from similar-looking native plants. Information on the regulations and how to report violations is also included.
A downloadable PDF of this field guide is available for free.
We are now taking bulk pre-orders for copies of the Guide printed on waterproof paper. The cost is $10 per booklet, with a minimum order of 10 booklets. You may pay with a credit/debit card, with a PayPal account, or with a check.
The deadline for pre-orders is October 2. Further booklets will not be printed until early next year. INPS Invasives Team leader Dawn Slack will coordinate delivery of the booklets.