THE management of invasive plant species in Bermuda is more than just pulling a few pesky weeds.

According to the Bermuda National Trust, together with land development, introduced invasive plants pose the largest threat to Bermuda's biodiversity today.

Invasive plant species are plants or wildlife that humans brought to Bermuda and thrive to the detriment of native and endemic species, like the Bermuda cedar or palmetto, which are plants that were present in Bermuda before humans arrived.

According to the Trust, like other small islands, Bermuda's native plants are extremely vulnerable to the introduction of invasive species.

"This (vulnerability) in part, comes from their isolation in competitor-free, pre-colonial Bermuda," said Dorcas Roberts, the Trust's director of preservation.

"When new pests and competitors are imported, native species are immediately at a disadvantage. Plants in their local habitats have a compliment of pests. When introduced to new environments these natural controls are not present and so they (introduced plants or wildlife) thrive. Meaning these species are naturally tougher to begin with, which enables them to prosper better than at home."

Not only do invasive plants grow more quickly than native plants, but they also grow higher, often two to three times higher, which also presents dangers to endemic plants.

"Rapid growth tends to lead to more brittle timber prone to breakage and easily uprooted in storms," said Mr. Roberts.

"Our low, rigid-growing native trees cannot survive the thrashing and smashing from large falling invasive trees once they have been overgrown by them. With each passing hurricane, we are witnessing more native forest collapse. In addition, many introduced plants are broadleaf species, which cast deeper shade that Bermuda's native open-canopied forest cannot adapt to."

In order to protect and enlarge the island's native woodlands from being overrun with invasive plants, the Trust has set out to get its hands dirty and galvanise support from volunteers to clear wooded areas.

Earlier this month, employees from ACE headed down to the Rebecca Middleton Nature Reserve in Paget, which has been overwhelmed by the giant balloon vine, an invasive plant that can quickly overwhelm mature canopy trees. This piece of land is one of several nature reserves held by the Trust and thanks for the labour-intensive work of the ACE volunteers, the area has been transformed.

Robert Chandler, field co-ordinator for the Trust, described the participants as "eco-heroes" as they donated a workday through their Gift of Time programme by clearing invasive plant species on the reserve.

"The team worked tirelessly throughout the day and did a tremendous job in beautifying the reserve, removing invasive plants and enhancing its attractiveness with new endemic plantings; work which will be noticed and appreciated by all who use the reserve and pass by on the adjacent Paget Railway Trail," he said.

The Rebecca Middleton Reserve is managed together with the S-Hill Land Nature Reserve, both located on Ord Road, Paget. These two small reserves lie on one of the most popular and scenic sections of the Railway Trail between Harmony Hall, S-Hill and the South Shore Road in Paget, and so they contribute to the 'Emerald Necklace' of Bermuda's linked open spaces.

Together the two areas amount to about three-quarters of an acre and consist of mature woodland with a diverse mix of naturalised tree species. The S-Hill lot was a quarter-acre site donated in 1992 by Adrianna Goodfellow, who, with her sister, also gave the Ship's Inn property, at Darrell's Wharf, to the Trust.

The second lot (0.4 acres) was donated in 2006 by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cook to the Trust and named in memory of Rebecca Middleton, the Canadian teenager who was brutally killed at Ferry Reach in 1996. Mrs. Mingo Cook's maiden name coincidentally is Middleton and the nature reserve is part of the area that was once owned by the Middleton family.

The Trust is encouraging the public to get involved in the management of open spaces including the removal of invasive plant and wildlife species.

"The Bermuda National Trust is in gratitude for their efforts," said Mr. Dorcas.

"Other organisations wishing to carry out similar work are encouraged to contact the Trust."

For more information on the dangers of invasive plant and wildlife species and the save removal of them, contact the Bermuda National Trust via www.bnt.bm or 236-6483.