Category: Invasive Species

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 8, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD25-26, Florida First Detector, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 8, 2026

Florida Land Steward Update, May 8, 2026

by Chris Demers
May 11, 2026

FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PILOT PROGRAM The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation teamed up with The Balmoral Group to develop a Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) framework using the University of Florida’s ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Drought, Ecosystem Services, Family Forest, Florida Land Steward Program, Forest Health, Forest Management, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Recovery, Invasive Species, Landowner Assistance, Longleaf Pine, Natural Resources, Online Course, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Tree Farm

UF scientists sequence a lantana genome, helping scientists prevent spread of invasive forms of the plant

by Brad Buck
March 11, 2026

A University of Florida scientist has sequenced the genome of one representative type of lantana, research that will help other plant breeders develop sterile varieties and help researchers control the plant from spreading. “This new genome ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species
Tags: Brooks Parrish, Cultivars, Environmental Horticulture, Genome, Genome Sequencing, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Invasive, Lantana, Plant, Sertilization, Zhanao Deng

May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 7, 2026

Recap of May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector In May, we dove into the basics of nematodes. While many nematodes are free-living and play beneficial roles in soil ecosystems, others are parasitic and can cause significant damage ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Nematodes, SeminoleCountyAg

Florida Land Steward Update, May 1, 2026

by Chris Demers
May 8, 2026

BE PREPARED FOR WILDFIRE Hopefully we’ll be getting some much-needed rain by the time you see this update, but it is dry out there and wildfire risk is very high in many areas. Each year, wildfires burn across the United States. At the ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Family Forest, Florida Land Steward Program, Forest Health, Forest Management, Hurricane Recovery, Invasive Species, Landowner Assistance, Longleaf Pine, Natural Resources, Online Course, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Tree Farm, Wildfire

Students discover which invasive plant species are commonly lurking in Gainesville stores and nurseries

by Suzette Cook
April 29, 2026

Two University of Florida juniors took a deep dive into invasive plant species being sold in the Gainesville area. UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics (SFFGS) students Natalie Vargas and Luis Hernandez launched an undercover ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources
Tags: Invasive Species, Natural Resource Conservation, Natural Resources, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Urban Forestry Extension

Bogged down by non-native plant guides

by Natural Areas Training Academy
April 29, 2026

One of the Natural Area Training Academy’s (NATA’s) core courses, “Managing for Diversity Across Florida’s Unique Landscapes,” just concluded. We discussed non-native and invasive plants, which brought up several questions regarding ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Managing For Diversity Across Florida's Unique Landscapes, NATA, NATA Core Courses, Natural Areas Training Academy, Shelly Johnson, UF/IFAS Extension

Bogged down by non-native plant guides

by Natural Areas Training Academy
April 29, 2026

UF entomology lab sent out warning before invasive brown winged leafhopper’s U.S. arrival

by Suzette Cook
April 28, 2026

By Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D. UF/IFAS Forest Entomologist A new insect pest recently showed up in Georgia -- and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Forest Entomology Lab already knows a lot about it. In ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources
Tags: Forest Health, Forest Management, Forestry, Invasive Pests, Sentinel Garden

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