This will be the case of man versus nature as One Tennessee city tries to maintain the status quo and protect the environment from invasive species.
Last June, Knoxville received US 25,000 to get rid of bush honeysuckle, privet, and more, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. The 100-acre project covers greenways, the Ijams Nature Center, and other locations around the city.
The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, which is a misnomer for the biggest investment in climate action in American history. Professional horticulture crews and then volunteers will work to remove and keep out the aforementioned invasive plants and others, which include 40-plus species at the 318-acre Ijams.
"The invasive species work to outcompete our native vegetation," said Kasey Krouse, the city's urban forester. "If we do nothing, we will lose biodiversity — it's just a matter of time. That's why we're so thankful for this crucial funding."
Invasive species cost U.S. taxpayers US$ 20 billion every year in mitigation efforts and lost resources.
Dogwoods, redbuds, and sugar maples are not growing because invasive species are outcompeting them, according to a city news release. If the invasives are removed, those trees, warm-season grasses, and blackhaw viburnum, to name a few native species, can regain a foothold — and improve the ecosystem, providing shelter and food for wildlife.
It may not seem like the type of plants in a particular area are important, but it is vital to keep in balance the natural world. Insects feed on the vegetation, and birds and other small animals feed on those insects. As the food web expands, it reaches humans, with 80 percent of our food and plant-based industrial products requiring pollination.
Since many invasive species are introduced to new environments by intentional or unintentional human intervention, it's up to us to fix the problem.