September 14, 2026
Non-Native Species Management: Is There Another Way?
Across Ohio, good people are leading important efforts to restore ecological beauty and diversity, which have been imperiled by over two centuries of heavy industrial extraction—including deforestation, dredging wetlands, plowing under prairies, and the introduction of non-native invasive species (NNIS). We celebrate the recovery—while acknowledging the vast difference from pre-colonial conditions of 95% forested (we’re currently at about 30%) and that, since 2018, the percentage of Ohio’s forests and wetlands has once again been in decline. Further complicating the matter, many of these ecosystems are heavily impacted by the presence of non-native species, some of which behave invasively (think Amur Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, or Callery Pear). With a significant lack of funding dedicated to land management, especially on public lands, we’ve inherited a complex problem with no easy answer.
Currently, it is largely accepted that the most practical approach to addressing the issue of NNIS is herbicide application. The OEC recognizes the ecological threats posed by NNIS, and the circumstances necessitating herbicide use. But we look at the challenges facing ecosystems and communities, and how they came to be, and wonder: what are the implications of widespread herbicide application, who is benefiting, and how might we create practices and policies that better protect and serve ecosystems and all who depend on their health and resilience?
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monsanto6 (Bayer), citing the EPA’s declaration that glyphosate, Roundup’s key ingredient, is safe, but the study that justified its safety was deemed compromised by the EPA’s own Inspector General.7 This decision came on the heels of a February executive order boosting domestic production of glyphosate.8
While habitat loss, ecosystem fragmentation, endangered species, and extinction are at an all-time high, the use of herbicides in our Public Lands is, too.9 In Ohio, the Wayne National Forest’s 2025 Non-Native Invasive Plant Control Project authorized application of herbicides across the Forest, even as its own report acknowledges herbicides may move through water runoff. Approximately 84% of soils within the Project area fall within the highest runoff-potential category.
Restoring Ohio’s ecosystems is a ripe opportunity. Imagine workforce development programs that train Ohioans to tend healthy landscapes; to harvest and process food, medicine, fiber, and fuelwood; to create trails, bridges, and pavilions; to build furniture and affordable housing. Imagine enacting policies and practices where the wealthiest corporations are investing in the communities they impact.10
The OEC works to protect and secure safe spaces for the full recovery of Ohio’s natural world, in which humans reclaim our role as thoughtfully engaged participants. We commend the efforts of Land stewards across the state, and envision these efforts supported by policies and practices that create livelihoods for Ohioans while increasing abundant, resilient ecosystems.
Recommended Further Reading
Love Them to Death: Turning Invasive Plants into Local Economic Opportunities, Edited by Wendy L. Applequist
Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration, By Tao Orion
Scapegoat: What the Invasive Species Story Gets Wrong, By Clare Follmann
Citation
6 Johnson, C. (2026, June 25). Supreme Court backs Monsanto in its fight against liability from popular Weed Killer. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/g-s1-120233/supreme-court-monsanto-roundup-decision
7 Halverson, N. (2026, June 23). The EPA relied on an influential glyphosate study even after learning Monsanto was A “ghost writer.” Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2026/06/epa-roundup-glyphosate-monsanto-ghostwritten-herbicide-cancer-bayer/
8 The United States Government. (2026, February 18). Promoting the national defense by ensuring an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/promoting-the-national-defense-by-ensuring-an-adequate-supply-of-elemental-phosphorus-and-glyphosate-based-herbicides/
9 Halverson, N. (2026, April 27). We are bombarding America’s forests with Roundup. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/04/roundup-glyphosate-spraying-forests-its fight against liability from popular Weed Killer. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/g-s1-120233/supreme-court-monsanto-roundup-decision
10 Stanley, M. J. (2026, February 11). Supplemental testimony of Molly Jo Stanley before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Ohio Environmental Council. https://theoec.org/news-and-information/supplemental-testimony-of-molly-jo-stanley-before-the-public-utilities-commision-of-ohio/?emci=24c48531-0a0d-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&emdi=ea000000
