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History and Purpose
The Minnesota Noxious Weed Advisory Committee (NWAC) was created by the state legislature in 2009 under M.S. 18.91 to advise the commissioner of agriculture regarding invasive plants and regulated noxious weeds.
The committee's duties include the following:
"The committee shall evaluate species for invasiveness, difficulty of control, cost of control, benefits, and amount of injury caused by them. For each species evaluated, the committee shall recommend to the commissioner on which noxious weed list or lists, if any, the species should be placed. Species designated as prohibited or restricted noxious weeds or specially regulated plants must be reevaluated every three years for a recommendation on whether or not they need to remain on the noxious weed lists.
The committee shall also advise the commissioner on the implementation of the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law and assist the commissioner in the development of management criteria for each noxious weed category."
Plant species are evaluated through an extensive risk assessment process. Each risk assessment is reviewed by all members of the committee. A list of species in the evaluation process can be found below. Completed risk assessments can be found at the Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council.
Petition a Terrestrial Plant Species
The Noxious Weed Advisory Committee accepts petitions to review terrestrial plant species for potential regulation. Please visit the Noxious Weed Petition page for instructions.
Members
The committee consists of members appointed by the commissioner who represent a variety of ecological, conservation, business, land ownership, and government interests throughout the state. To become a member, applicants must qualify under the conditions set by Minnesota Statute 18.91; Subdivision 2 and must apply when an open appointment for a membership position becomes available through the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office.
Meetings
Meeting dates, locations, agendas, minutes, and links to virtual meetings will be posted here.
March 5, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Virtual meeting
The plant species listed below are in the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee’s evaluation process to determine whether they will be recommended for regulation. Plant species are evaluated through an extensive risk assessment process that considers:
- Invasive potential
- Difficulty of control
- Cost of control
- Benefits of the species
- Potential harm the species may cause
The outcome of each assessment includes a regulatory recommendation to the commissioner of agriculture. Regulatory recommendations include:
- Do not list
- Prohibited eradicate
- Prohibited control
- Restricted
- Specially regulated plant
Species Under Evaluation in 2026
- Angelica tree (Aralia elata)
- Bristly locust (Robinia hispida)
- Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)
- Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
- Yellow-flowered teasel (Dipsacus strigosus)
- Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon, Lamiastrum galeobdolon)
- Exemption request: Glossy buckthorn cultivar ‘Ron Williams’ Fine Line® (Rhamnus frangula)
Species Under Evaluation in 2026–2027
- European highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus)
- Sargent viburnum (Viburnum sargentii)
- Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) — update to include previously missing information
Species Under Evaluation in 2027
- Balfour’s touch-me-not (Impatiens balfourii)
- Bigleaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)
- Common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
- Helleborine orchid (Epipactis helleborine)
- Mile-a-minute weed/vine (Persicaria perfoliata)
- Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)
- Shiny cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidus)
- Tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Cultivar Exemption Requests
Plant breeders are developing cultivars of invasive landscape plants that produce little to no seed. Because many invasive plants spread by seed, reduced seed production may limit the potential for these plants to escape cultivation.
The committee received the following requests to review cultivars for potential exemption from regulation:
- Japanese barberry cultivar Berberis × ‘NCBX1’ Sunjoy® Todo®
- Japanese barberry cultivar Berberis thunbergii ‘ORSTBT3x1’ StoneFree™ Berry Bold™
- Japanese barberry cultivar Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea ‘ORSTBT4x1’ StoneFree™ Afterglow™
