Invasive species are causing devastating damage to Tyler State Park in Texas.
What's happening?
New reporting by KLTV revealed the worsening problems from invasive species in the park.
The culprits are feral hogs and pine sawyer beetles. The beetles were found to be eating the local pine trees, causing major damage and stripping the bark away from the trunks. The hogs have annually caused $500 million in damages across Texas, largely because of their negative impact on agricultural land.
Endangered species that live in the park, such as the red cockaded woodpecker, are negatively impacted by these invasive hogs and beetles. Junior Rodriguez, one of Tyler State Park's interpreters, told KLTV: "When we have a species that is endangered and needs these pines to grow, and we have a pine sawyer beetle that is destroying the pines, it's kind of hard for that species to thrive."
Rodriguez also expressed worry at the difficulty of reducing the damage caused by these species. "They grow at such an exponential rate that their damage can't really be contained. … Can they be controlled? That's to be determined."
Why is getting rid of invasive species important?
Often, invasive species have been introduced to a new ecosystem by human intervention, and their presence there has the potential to decimate the native ecology. They are fast to reproduce and make survival difficult for the plants and animals that naturally are part of the habitat. By competing with native species for food and water, the whole balance of the area can be thrown into chaos and push endangered species closer to extinction.
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What's being done about invasive species?
Protecting native species by prioritizing native plants, animals, and habitats can conserve natural resources and food supply, but it can also limit the spread of diseases for both animals and humans.
Rodriguez suggested, per KLTV, "Whenever you are going camping, make sure you are buying wood in a 10-mile radius of that park. That way, you know it's locally sourced." This can prevent introducing invasive species such as the pine sawyer beetles to the area.
He also advised people to contact professionals if they come across invasive species in the wild. Removing invasive species gives native animals, plants, and habitats the best chance to thrive.
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