Extremely Dangerous Invasive Species Found in Upstate New York

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is on high alert after a highly invasive species was detected in the state.

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New York's ecosystem is plagued by several invasive species that are taking out native plants and animals. Environmentalists are on high alert to watch out for some of the more dangerous invaders due to the destruction they're capable of causing.

When the Emerald ash borer, which is indigenous to East Asia, was first detected in NYS back in 2009, it signaled that the state's native ash tree population was in for a brutal culling. Times Union reports the borer's arrival has resulted in catastrophic destruction of our native trees, which now face an uncertain future in the state.

Other invasive species of concern include the fungus that causes Oak wilt and a nematode that triggers what's known as Beech Leaf Disease.

Read More: New Yorkers Urged to Kill Every Spotted Lanternfly They See

Naturalists are worried that there will be yet another great extinction of native trees, as what happened with the Chestnut blight that destroyed all American chestnut trees within a 50 year span. Science.org predicts America could lose a quarter of its native tree population to invasive pests and foreign diseases.

And now New York has another invasive species to contend with and work is now underway to contain its spread. The DEC announced in its "Week in Review" release that forest rangers responded to the Bog Brook Unique Area in the Village of Brewster to eradicate the aggressively invasive reed grass phragmites.

This hardy species is known to wipe out native flora and fauna due to its rapid spread. The plant not only is able to spread quickly once it takes hold, it also kills native species through a chemical it leaks from its root.

This chemical seeps into the soil and works to ultimately stop the growth of surrounding plants. The plant then overtakes an area because of its extremely dense growth, thus crowding out the competition and releasing more of that biochemical that kills rival species.

Work is now underway to protect the native wetland plants, like marigolds, irises and certain milkweeds that the critically endangered Monarch butterflies rely on for sustenance.

Here's other extremely dangerous invasive species New Yorkers are highly urged to watch out for and destroy.