Sept. 10, 2007.
HDoAg hosted a workshop on invasive plants to discuss issues regarding the introduction of plants which have a potential to become weed problems for the environment andf agriculture sectors in Hawaii. A principal feature of the discussion was input concerning adoption of restricted and prohibited plant import lists.
As might be expected, environmental advocates support lists of prohibited and restricted plants. Currently HDoA has list of plants for restricted entry because they are hosts to insects or diseases that would affect agricultural crops or are specific aquatic weeds (added to the Statures during the Salvinia molesta infestation of Lake Wilson). Those plants are not necessarily considered invasive. They also have a list of prohibited plants under their Noxious Weed Rules (4-6-68 of Hawaii Administrative Rules). It was clarified that these plants plants are considered for eradication and control, not regulatory listing with respect to import. However HDoA has been including them in an unofficial list of plants not to be imported. It was also brought out that HDoA has a seed certification branch that deals with agriculturall and vegetable seeds that will exclude seed lots found to have a lot of weed seeds in them (if they can be identified).
Information was provided on regulations, rules & statutes, conservation issues, current noxious weeds listing, and agricultural issues. Questions were fielded by the presenters. Lyle Wong acknowledged that the Plant Industry Division does not spend a lot of time on the invasive plant species. It was noted that the Federal Noxious Weed list is not included in the Hawaii Noxious Weed Rules listing because Hawaii has a difficult time qualifying because of acreages of infestation are too small; thus, Hawaii doesn't get federal dollars for control. The Hawaii Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) process was explained as well as the protocol for evaluating plant materials whose assessment values places them in an ambiguous status.
HDoA has proposed wording for Restricted/Prohibited introductions as amendments to Chapter 4-70, Plant Import Rules. Part of the new material would be lists of prohibited and restricted plants as well as changes to the existing lists (formed in 1992 and in need of updating).
Industry representatives argued against too restrictive rules and listings. Environmental groups would prefer stronger rules. Botanical Garden representatives argued that their function as germplasm repositories could be inhibited by too restrictive rules, especially as they often import plant mateial not yet identified by genus or species and their timelines for getting plants into media or propagation after import is often too limited for even a 6-hour WRA evaluation. Bishop Museum Botany Department representatives noted that they are providing a service of plant material identifications that can facilitate a decision as to whether a WRA is needed for an imported plant material.
New regulations would allow prohibited and restricted species in for research and education, especially with respect to developing control meaures under a permit system. Plants not on such lists would, presumably, come in as at present. The proposed regulations have a series of review boards and public hearings to pass through before thay can be implemented.
Rich Criley (TPSS) attended and was the sole person from CTAHR.