Reporting Invasive Species Using iMapInvasives

Pennsylvania has documented more than 300 invasive plants, insects, pathogens, and animals that threaten both natural ecosystems and agricultural production. Together, these species contribute to hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses each year and drive substantial declines in native biodiversity.

Many of these invasive species arrive unintentionally through trade and transportation, as stowaways in boats or vehicles (e.g., ballast water), contaminants in commercial products (e.g., insect pests in packing materials), via plant and animal commerce (e.g., pathogens on tree stock), or through dispersal along corridors (e.g., roads or canals). Organisms in the pet trade or sold for agriculture or horticulture may escape cultivation or be released intentionally. Once established, invasive species often spread quickly because they lack natural predators, competitors, or diseases in their new environment.

Watch the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's documentary film, "Seeing The Unseen: Aquatic Invaders & What's at Stake" to better understand why caring about the issue of invasive species is paramount for all Pennsylvanians. The film depicts how some of our favorite places to enjoy nature can be degraded when invasive species are introduced.

Environmental and Economic Hardships

Invasive species' ability to reproduce quickly can equate to environmental and economic hardships, such as decreases in native forest regeneration, resulting in harm to the timber industry (e.g., from the invasive shrub, glossy buckthorn). Farmers may need to spend extra dollars on chemicals to spray their crop fields to control an unwanted plant pest (e.g., palmer amaranth). Other impacts can be felt by those who enjoy fishing, swimming, and boating in waterbodies statewide. In some cases, an entire water column can become clogged and ultimately unusable with unwanted aquatic vegetation from just one reproducing plant fragment coming loose from a boat trailer or fishing gear (e.g., hydrilla).

Invasive species affect more than just forests and farms—they influence daily life for communities across the Commonwealth, though they are often "invisible" to many in the public. Infestations can reduce property values, increase costs for homeowners and municipalities managing invasive species, and degrade outdoor recreation experiences by damaging trails, choking waterways, and altering the appearance of green spaces. For growers and land managers, invasive pests create ongoing challenges that require vigilant monitoring and integrative management strategies. Addressing these impacts demands collaboration among state agencies, universities, industry partners, and an informed public.

Many businesses often feel repercussions, albeit indirect, from the presence of invasive species, often because the species' direct effects are not immediately seen or noticed by business leaders, agency heads, or the public. Only after much time has elapsed—sometimes years—are the resulting effects sometimes noticeable to the public at large (e.g., Japanese knotweed, round goby, and Japanese barberry).

In many cases, the presence of an invasive species is never truly felt by the public but is instead only understood to be a threat to the environment, economy, or human and animal health. Therefore, it is these "lesser known, lesser felt" species that generally do not receive broad attention or financial resources to deal with their impacts, thus preventing the needed implementation of checks and balances to prevent their spread and resulting harm.  

iMapInvasives as a Public Reporting Tool

Because many invasive species spread quickly and are difficult to control once established, early detection is one of the most effective tools for protecting Pennsylvania's landscapes. Timely reports from residents, land managers, and outdoor recreationists help experts confirm new sightings, respond before populations grow, and prioritize limited resources where they are most needed. Even a single observation—especially of a new or emerging pest—can make the difference between a manageable problem and a widespread infestation. This shared vigilance allows agencies and partners to act quickly and prevent small incursions from becoming costly long-term issues.

One of the tools available to Pennsylvanians for tracking and reporting invasive species is iMapInvasives, a statewide online reporting and data management system. This platform allows landowners, natural resource professionals, and community members to report observations of invasive plants, insects, and animals. By centralizing these reports, iMapInvasives helps agencies and conservation partners monitor the spread of priority species, identify emerging threats, and coordinate rapid response efforts. Every report—whether a single insect or an extensive plant infestation—contributes valuable information that strengthens statewide management and early detection programs. 

Anyone can report invasive species to iMapInvasives. Users can create a free account online and submit observations quickly and easily, with many people preferring to use the available mobile app. Each report includes the species name, location, date, and photos to help specialists verify the identification. The iMapInvasives platform also provides simple mapping tools to pinpoint the exact location of a sighting. Once submitted, records are reviewed by experts and added to Pennsylvania's statewide database where they support monitoring, research, and rapid response planning. Taking just a few minutes to report an invasive species ensures that new detections are documented quickly, and management efforts are guided by accurate, up-to-date information.

Reports Can Lead to Quick Action

As an example, a recent report of an emerging invasive threat—wavyleaf basketgrass—submitted to iMapInvasives enabled managers to take quick action and prevent negative impacts from occurring to the surrounding landscape. Listed as a Pennsylvania noxious weed, this novel finding of wavyleaf basketgrass was discovered in Rothrock State Forest in Centre County in summer 2025, far from other known occurrences located in the southern half of the state. Left unchecked, wavyleaf basketgrass quickly forms a monoculture in a forest understory, a concern for natural resource managers due to its ability to eliminate food resources for wildlife and habitat for native species.

Wavyleaf basketgrass at the newly discovered site could have become a long-term management challenge, but is now thought to be eliminated after removal by specialists at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Although spreading in the region, wavyleaf basketgrass is not yet widespread in Pennsylvania. Therefore, there is hope this unwanted invader may be successfully contained or even eradicated from the Commonwealth if diligent reporting of new infestations and follow-up response occurs.

The team that administers the iMapInvasives program in Pennsylvania is based out of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, entities that, among other duties, protect, restore, and implement sound conservation science practices for the betterment of Pennsylvania's treasured land and water resources. iMapInvasives program staff boast experience in ecology, botany, and zoology, survey and management, database administration, digital communications, education, and outreach. Since 2010, the team has cultivated strong partnerships across Pennsylvania with state agencies and nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and others with an interest in invasive species issues impacting the Commonwealth.

The features of iMapInvasives are a benefit to landowners and natural resource managers alike. Expert-verified reports are labelled as confirmed in the iMapInvasives online mapping interface, allowing users to know that information has been quality-checked. Landowners can query the map to see what invasive species occur in their region. Reports are used to prioritize areas for invasive species management and target areas for studies, like locations to test new control methods by professional land managers. Decision makers at agencies may also use information from iMapInvasives for policy and regulation purposes, such as additions to the state's noxious weed list, which is used to ban species for sale or transport in the Commonwealth. In the Pennsylvania Governor's Invasive Species Council 5-Year Management Plan, iMapInvasives is recommended for adoption by all Pennsylvanians to report and view invasive species distributions statewide.

Learn More About iMapInvasives

If you haven't already, take some time to learn more about iMapInvasives and sign up for a free login account so you can begin reporting your findings of unwanted invasive species that may be located in your region. Check out the PA iMapInvasives YouTube channel to watch training videos and learn more about specific invasive species impacting our state. You can also reach out to the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program team, Amy Jewitt, Mary Walsh, and Brian Daggs by contacting them via email or phone.