Odum Conference Poster Abstracts
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Theme D: Collaborative undertakings between invasive species ecologists and managers
* indicates presenting author.
Breisch, A; Haggerty, K; Holzworth C; Hughes, T*; Janis, M; Jaycox, J; O’Brien, R; Plemons, M; Rogers, M; Schnurr, L. – NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Closing the door on uninvited visitors - A collaborative approach to defending our New York State Parks from invasive species
The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) recognizes the
importance of partnership and outreach in managing invasive species. As part of our
agency’s Natural Resource Stewardship and Environmental Interpretation Initiative, we
have enhanced our collaborative approach to researching, monitoring and managing
invasive species throughout our parks and historic sites. By implementing natural
resource projects that more greatly involve academia, non-profit organizations, other
resource agencies and our staff and patrons, we are more effective in promoting awareness
and providing education about the threats invasive species pose to our park ecosystems.
Over the past year, biologists and ecologists working within the Environmental Management
Bureau have teamed up with several partners, including local colleges and universities, NY
PRISM members, general public volunteers, NYS park facility managers and agencies such as
NYS Agriculture and Markets, USDA, NYSDEC and The Nature Conservancy to monitor and
eradicate invasive species. Projects range in scope from interpretive programs and
workshops to large-scale plant removals. Our poster highlights several of the successful
projects conducted over the past year; provides information about the types of invasive
species that currently threaten our State Parks; and emphasizes the value of a
collaborative approach to addressing natural resource issues.
Corbin, Jeffrey D1*; Flint, Steven2 – (1) Union College; (2) The Nature Conservancy, Adirondack Chapter
Control of Alliaria petiolata in Adirondack Park – A test of early eradication
Early detection and eradication of newly established non-native species populations are
often touted as being the most effective and cost-efficient strategies to preventing
establishment of invasive species. Relatively few studies, however, have documented the
process of control from the time of detection through complete eradication. Understanding
the factors influencing success, including the length of time needed to achieve eradication,
will help habitat managers make informed decisions as they allocate resources. In 2006,
Nature Conservancy staff was alerted that a population of A. petiolata had established in
the southwest part of New York’s Adirondack Park. Control (via hand-removal) began in
late Summer 2006, and was repeated in Spring 2007 and 2008.
We established 81 permanent transects (20 m long) in Spring 2007 in order to monitor
the effectiveness of the control program. The number of flowering/fruiting individuals
along each transect were counted before and after each season’s hand-pulling. In 2007,
38% of the transects had at least one A. petiolata individual; the mean number of
individuals was 13, and the densest transect had over 400 individuals. In 2008, the
population was significantly smaller. A. petiolata was found in only 20% of the transects,
and the mean number of individuals was 2. The densest transect had only 45 individuals.
This control program is effectively reducing the population size, but we cannot yet
project when eradication will be achieved. Future surveys will help determine the number
of years required to exhaust the seedbank and for the population to be considered
eradicated.
Jordan, Marilyn J1*; Moore, Gerry2; Weldy, Troy W3 – (1)The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter; (2) Brooklyn Botanic Garden; (3) The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter
New York State plant ranking system for evaluating non-native plant species for invasiveness
The Nature Conservancy and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) have developed an
invasive plant ranking system to assess the invasive nature of non-native plant species
in New York State, and to predict the potential invasiveness of new arrivals. A two
stage process is used. First, a species’ invasiveness is ranked at the state level
based on scores received for answers to 20 questions in four broad categories:
1. Ecological impact, 2. Biological characteristics and dispersal ability, 3. Ecological
amplitude and distribution, 4. Difficulty of control. Second, a species is ranked for
one or more of the eight regions in NYS based on a combination of the NYS score,
distribution, and likelihood of establishment or spread given the region’s habitats and
climate. This ranking system is designed to be repeatable, based on the best available
science, clearly explained and fully documented. BBG populates the ranking forms, which
are then reviewed, edited and approved by a committee of stakeholders including
botanists, ecologists, industry representatives, and land managers. Between March 2008
and March 11, 2009, 99 species have been assessed and approved by the review committee.
Another 80 species will be reviewed by early 2010. Results of these assessments are
being used to revise a list of plants prohibited from sale in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties (Long Island). New York State’s Office of Invasive Species Coordination is
currently developing recommendations for a statewide invasive plant species list, which
will be considered by the NYS legislature in 2010.
Mukherjee, Jayanti Ray*1; Jones, Thomas A2; Adler, Peter B1; Monaco Thomas A2 – (1)Utah State University; (2)USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory
Seedling traits of native perennials vs. invasive annuals: A case study in the Intermountain West
In restoration plantings, seedling competition from invasive annuals is an
important factor hindering native-species establishment. Bromus tectorum is an
invasive winter-annual grass on the rangelands of North America’s Intermountain West.
This grass capitalizes on abundant spring soil resources while temperatures are still
cold, and its long penetrating roots deplete soil resources and hinder establishment of
slower-growing native perennial bunchgrasses such as Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus
wawawaiensis. A close examination of functional traits at the seedling stage can help
answer questions such as: what makes invasive species different from desirable native
species, and which functional traits can make desirable species better competitors with
invasive annuals? In this study, we compared seed mass, seedling growth rates, and
functional traits of B. tectorum, nine P. spicata populations, and ‘Secar’ E. wawawaiensis
under cold (5/10oC) and favorable (15/20oC) temperature regimes. Bromus tectorum
germinated and initiated coleoptiles faster than the perennials under both temperature
regimes. Of the three grasses, B. tectorum had the highest root: shoot length ratio
and a relatively high specific root length; P. spicata exhibited the highest values
for seed mass, absolute growth rate, shoot and root biomass, and shoot length; and
E. wawawaiensis had the highest specific leaf area and relatively high high-temperature
relative growth rate. Our results show that B. tectorum has a strikingly greater
root: shoot length ratio than native species at the seedling stage. This suggests
that selecting plant materials for this trait could be desirable for establishing
native species on rangelands.
Rebbeck, Joanne*; Hutchinson, Todd; Iverson, Louis; Yaussy, Daniel; Bowden, Michael; Kloss, Aaron – US Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Aerial mapping of female Ailanthus altissima trees in Ohio mixed oak forests
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) is a highly invasive tree that is present in
many forested landscapes in the eastern US. Managers often observe an expansion in
Ailanthus populations following forest disturbances such as harvesting and prescribed
burning. A single female Ailanthus tree can produce 350,000 seeds, which are commonly
wind-disseminated distances exceeding 100 to 200 meters. A cooperative research project
was initiated to study the distribution and abundance of Ailanthus within the highly
dissected landscape of Tar Hollow State Forest in southeastern Ohio. We employed
geo-referenced digital aerial sketch mapping technology in a low-flying helicopter to
identify female trees (seed-producers) and patches (non-seeders) of Ailanthus in winter
2008, when persistent seeds are highly visible. The method appears to be an effective
way to survey for seed-producing Ailanthus across a landscape. During a two hour flight,
99 seed-bearing females and 42 patches, ranging in size from 0.18 to 13.4 ha were
identified within a 3885 ha (9600 acre) area. Seventy percent of the
aerially-identified females were ground-truthed using hand-held GPS units; 4.3% were
either misidentified or not located. Starting in summer 2009, sampling of individual
trees as well as a systematic grid will quantify Ailanthus abundance and demography in
relation to management practices and landscape/stand attributes, to better understand
and model the key factors related to the presence, abundance, and spread of Ailanthus.
The direct effects of prescribed fire and herbicide treatments on Ailanthus demography
and spread will also be studied.
Stephenson, Laura1*; Schwager, Kathy2 – (1) Peconic Estuary Program, NYSDEC; (2) The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter
350 volunteers successfully remove aquatic weed from Peconic River, Long Island
Ludwigia peploides, more commonly known as water primrose, is a South American species
that was first detected in the Peconic River in 2003. This aquatic non-native, invasive
plant which grows primarily on the water surface, spreads rapidly in warm weather months
and can often take over entire slow-flowing waterbodies. Ludwigia poses a major threat to
the Peconic River as it acts as unsuitable fish habitat, outcompetes native plants, reduces
biodiversity, blocks sunlight to oxygen producing submerged plants, and severely impedes
recreational uses of the river.
The Peconic Estuary Program and its partners have embarked on a multi-year monitoring
and volunteer driven eradication effort in an attempt to rid the species from the Peconic
River and prevent spreading to other Long Island waters. Since the initiation of the
eradication effort in the Spring of 2006, over 350 volunteers have spent over 1500 hours
hand-pulling over 126 cubic yards of Ludwigia. Frequent monitoring suggests past and
current efforts have been successful in controlling the invasive plant and project
partners are hopeful that only small scale maintenance pulling will be required in the
future.
Toro, Jessica M* – The Nature Conservancy
Weed It Now, a large-scale invasive control project in a Northeastern forest
A large-scale project focused on reducing invasive species in a Northern forest was
launched in 2002 by The Nature Conservancy. The goal of this project, named Weed It Now,
is to reduce the density of invasive species to less than 5% on 9,000 acres within a large,
contiguous forest covering three states. Since less than 5% of the land is owned by The
Nature Conservancy, developing partnerships with private individuals, and state and
federal agencies is necessary to accomplish the goals of this project. At the beginning
of Year 5 of the project, over 75 properties have been enrolled totaling approximately
8500 acres. Evaluating the success of the project will involve considering the
participation of a diversity of landowners as well as measuring the reduction in coverage
of invasive species and the increase in the size of the uninvaded forest core.
Zimmerman, Chris* – The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter
Is resistance futile? Assessing the success of potential invasive species prevention and control strategies in the Catskills
Invasive species prevention and control are resource intensive activities. Determining the probability of
long-term success of invasive plant prevention and control strategies requires information
on invasive plant distribution, vectors, and response to management. To abate the invasive
plant threat to forest ecosystems in the Catskills, a set of draft prevention and control
strategies are in development. To develop strategies, survey data of ten terrestrial
invasive plants on 356 transects along roads and trails across 104,000 hectares (258,000
acres) was used. The frequency and density of invasive species in the Catskills varied,
as did their distribution patterns across the landscape. The invasive plants surveyed
were fairly widespread along the road system, with 74% of the road transects containing
at least one invasive; however, only 3 of the 50 trail transects (< 1%) were occupied by
one of the focal invasive species. Road side management was identified as a potential
vector for many of the invasive plants surveyed. A list of priority species was generated
and two primary strategies drafted 1) detect and eradicate invasive plants approaching
the region, and 2) maintain areas that are currently free of invasives. Prevention and
early detection strategies are in development for five terrestrial invasive plants
approaching the region. Two invasive species prevention zones totaling ~ 40,500 hectares
(100,000 acres) have been drafted. Current efforts aim to assess the feasibility of
invasive plant prevention and control in the Catskill Park.