Glossary of Terms Alien, exotic, and nonnative
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- Sensitive Areas that Preclude Management without Special Clearance
- Operational Considerations.
- Program Elements of Invasive Vegetation Management
- Control Methods Summary
- Recognizing New Exotic Plant Threats
- Site Restoration
- Invasives Monitoring
Zonal Ranking.Areas Needing Early ManagementConsideration of natural and cultural resource protection factors indicate the following zonal priorities for control of invasive non-native vegetation. The order of listing as well as the relative urgency imply priority for treatments. Figure-7. Ranking zones for early exotic plant treatments at Hopewell Furnace NHS.
Sensitive Areas that Preclude Management without Special ClearanceIt has also been determined that overriding cultural resource protection needs may exist that would preclude or alter exotic invasive vegetation management in certain areas. Therefore, the following areas and species should receive special caution and clearance approval for action prior to implementing treatments for invasive vegetation. Figure-8a. Zones requiring coordination prior to exotic plant treatments at Hopewell Furnace NHS.
Figure-8b. Species requiring special approval prior to exotic plant treatments at Hopewell Furnace NHS.
Operational Considerations.To organize the species and zonal priorities discussed above into an integrated field directive, a treatment priority ranking is provided. It consolidates the species and zones for programmatical management. Refer to the figure that follows. Figure-9. Integrated Treatment Priorities at Hopewell Furnace NHS.
Species Watch List. It is very possible that other invasive species are present in the area but escaped detection. A single springtime reconnaissance survey will miss mid-to-late growing season species. Since the Natural Lands Trust Crow’s Nest Preserve found several invasive species in their ownership that we did not detect, we will mention them in the watch-list of invasive species figure that follows. It is also very possible that other invasives that are not in Hopewell Furnace at this time may subsequently find their way in by various vectors. Though dozens of invasives could potentially infest the park, the following species are known to be in the region and are particularly worrisome due to their environmental impacts. Both the Hopewell Furnace and Mid-Atlantic EPMT staffs should conduct ongoing surveillance to look for new species and incorporate them into subsequent analysis and planning. Figure-10. Watch-list of invasive species not currently found in Hopewell Furnace NHS.
* Species known to be within the neighboring Crow’s Nest Preserve. Program Implementation The exotic vegetation control program shall be led by the Site’s Resource Management & Visitor Protection Division with substantial assistance from the Maintenance Division and Interpretation Division. To date, there are no dedicated park base funds for exotic vegetation management. Rather, the program is tended locally as time allows among other resource management duties and as competitive funding becomes available. Washington Office base funded support resides in the park’s share (about 7%) of the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team activities. The Team is funded directly through the Washington Office’s Biological Resources Management Division. It provides field monitoring, field vegetation controls, data management, planning services, and public education/information support as time allows. It is incumbent upon the Park to increase invasive plant program activity by all means practicable. Avenues may involve programmatic funding and public volunteerism. Funding support may come from a variety of sources including the park base, Washington Office base funding (ONPS), and various competitive sources such as the Biological Resources Management Division – Natural Resource Challenge (BRMD-NRC), the Natural Resources Protection Program (NRPP), the User Fee Fund, the National Fish & Wildlife Fund Pulling Together Initiative, the NPS Challenge Cost Share Program, and not-for-profit non-governmental organizations, among others. Public volunteerism is an important avenue that should be developed. Weekend weed warrior programs can accomplish much on the ground while increasing public awareness on the subject and public advocacy one-on-one. Program Elements of Invasive Vegetation ManagementThe goal of invasive vegetation management is to preserve and protect natural and cultural resources and maintain healthy functioning ecosystems. It must be a broad-scoped program that acts in the strategic arena for planning yet formulates tactical operations and delves into the minutia of methods and reporting. Programmatically, invasive vegetation management at the park shall include the key elements of planning, field implementation, public education, record keeping, and safety/risk management. Planning Activity (for new infestations subsequent to this Plan): Identify and rank new pest species. Since eliminating all nonnatives is not possible, the park must distinguish the most aggressive exotics and choose which should be dealt with on a priority basis. Typically, invasives cannot be tolerated at even low levels due to their ability to quickly expand and dominate sites. (a) Confirm the natural and cultural areas that need special or early protection due to their significance or sensitivity. (b) Identify sites having natural vectoring potential for invasive introductions. Confirm the natural and cultural areas that must be protected from management activity (where law/policy contraindicates management). Meld the geographic and programmatic inputs into the integrated treatment priority system. Conform to all appurtenant laws and policies in the management of invasive nonnative plants. Field Implementation: Conduct periodical reconnaissance for early detection of invasive plant in-cursions. Establish and measure monitoring plots to document infestation trends. Treat prioritized invasives and infested areas promptly as they appear. Follow up with treatment monitoring and subsequent treatments to (a) assure eradication or control at the lowest levels possible and (b) learn from treatment practices for increasing effectiveness and efficiency. Conduct appropriate site restoration to prevent secondary introduction of invasives. Public Education: Work with NPS staff, surrounding land managers, and the public to prevent invasive plant infestations by increasing awareness of the general issues surrounding invasive species as well as specific plant threats in particular. Educate the inquiring public regarding the effect of invasives as related to the NPS mission. Educate the inquiring public regarding the efficacy and safety of the park’s invasive plant management program. Reach out to the general public regarding the effect of invasives, Hopewell Furnace initiatives to eradicate and control, ways the public may participate at Hopewell, and ways the public can reduce invasives in their own neighborhoods. Record Keeping: Account for monitoring, treatments, and herbicide usage on the “Herbicide / Treatment Report” form. (Refer to the appendix.) Reporting is typically done on a daily basis. Enter field data into a prescribed and stable database on a regular basis. Analyze herbicide usage and treatment effectiveness for refinement, efficacy, and pesticide reduction. Analyze treatment and monitoring records for trends and other aspects to anticipate invasive problems and improve management outcomes. Submit annual calendar-year reporting of herbicide usage to NPS-NER IPM Coordinator in January. Safety & Risk Management: Create a risk assessment of the tasks involved in invasive vegetation control, travel, and equipment/supplies storage. Maintain pesticide labels and Material Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals used. Maintain a safe and uncluttered storage facility for chemicals and equipment. Be prepared to adequately respond in the case of a chemical spill. Conduct regular safety discussions with program employees and volunteers to pass along safety tips and gather employee input. Control Methods SummaryAppropriate control methods include the use of prescribed fire, hand pulling and cutting, machine cutting and mowing, and herbicide application. Silvicultural treatments such as planting, thinning of native species, and soil amelioration may be indicated where simple plant competition may solve nonnative incursions. Planting natives may be necessary to capture and hold sites after treatment. Current knowledge indicates the need for the treatment actions listed in the following figure. Figure-11. Pre-approved methods for controlling specific invasive plants at Hopewell Furnace NHS.
Refer to the appendix for species’ fact sheets. They provide plant identification aids, ecological impact analyses, and best management practices. Where treatment sites involve water or riparian resources, it is required and essential that appropriate herbicides be used that are labeled for use in such settings. These include, among others, AccordR, RodeoR and GlyproR, or Garlon-3AR. Recognizing New Exotic Plant ThreatsNew species or infestation areas that are not mentioned in the initial Plan shall be discussed and cleared for action through the Hopewell Furnace’s normal project clearance process. Such species and areas will be made part of the Plan when analyzed, approved, and attached to the appendix. Site RestorationAs described in the “Appropriate Field Controls” subsection, it may be necessary to plant fast growing native vegetation at treatment sites to ensure that nonnative invasives do not recapture an area. In general, native plantings are not needed where affected areas are smaller than ¼-acre, narrow as opposed to wide and exposed, and not involving soil compaction. Resident or adjacent natives are well able to colonize and hold such sites without intervention. On the other hand, larger sites with impacted soils or areas with heavy invasive seedbank may well need soil treatments, prescribed fire, and/or native plantings to minimize nonnative colonization. The need for site restoration subsequent to exotic, invasive controls will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine appropriate follow-up treatments. In the end, the goal of invasive plant management is not solely to control nonnatives, but it is to create conditions that allow for healthy functioning ecosystems. With the combination of field reconnaissance, vegetation management, site restoration (as needed), and on-going monitoring vigilance, the park can maintain a landscape that accurately reflects its historical base, preserves and protects native species, and encourages healthy ecosystem functioning. Invasives MonitoringA set of monitoring plots shall be established and remeasured over time to determine current and trending invasive exotic species levels in treatment sites and surrounding areas. The focus shall not be to accommodate research, but rather to gather operations information to assist suppression planning and refine the treatment approach. Photographic points will be created at several treatment sites to supplement the field data. Refer to the appendix for monitoring protocols. References Alien Plant Working Group. 1999. Plant Conservation Alliance, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC. Contact person, Olivia Kwong. Phone (202) 452-0392. Website currently found at http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/. Burke, Jim, and Carol Ann Prater. 2000. I’ll grant you that: A step-by-step guide to finding funds, designing winning projects, and writing powerful grant proposals. Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH. 269 pp. Cox, George W. 1999. Alien species in North American and Hawaii: Impacts on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, DC. 387 pp. Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Second ed. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY. 910 pp. Hiebert, Ronald D. and James Stubbendieck. 1993. Handbook for ranking exotic plants for management and control. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office, Omaha, NE. Natural Resources Report NPS/NRMWRO/NRR-93/08. 31 pp. Mikan, Carl J., and Marc D. Abrams. 1994. Vegetative, edaphic, and historical analysis of charcoal hearths at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Pennsylvania. February 1994. Technical Report NPS/MARHOFU/NRTR-94/056. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. Mutz, John, and Katherine Murray. 2000. Fundraising for dummies. Hungry Minds, Inc., New York. 359 pp. National Audubon Society. 1998. National Audubon Society field guide to North American trees: Eastern region. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 714 pp. National Park Service. 2006. General management plan: Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site – in draft. National Park Service, Northeast Region, Philadelphia, PA. National Park Service. 2001. Management policies 2001. USDI, NPS, Washington, DC. 137 pp. National Park Service. 1997. National Park Service Strategic Plan: 1997. USDI, NPS, Washington, DC. September 1997. 90 pp. Pennsylvania DCNR. 2006. Invasive plants in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Harrisburg, PA. Website currently found at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/invasive.aspx. Peterson, Roger Tory and Margaret McKenny. 1996. A field guide to wildflowers of northeastern and northcentral North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York. 420 pp. Podniesinski, Greg S., Stephanie J. Perles, Lesley A. Sneddon, and Bill Billinor. 2005. Vegetation class and mapping of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR-2005/012. March 2005 (revised October 2005). National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. Russell, Emily W.B. 1987. Final report: Vegetation study at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ. March 1987. 4-28211 DI-NPS-Hopewell Village (Psuty/Russell). SE-EPPC. Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council. Managing Director Brian Bowen. Phone: (615) 834-2457. Website currently found at http://www.se-eppc.org/. U.S. Congress. 1969. The national environmental policy Act of 1969. 42 USC 4321-4370d; P.L. 91-190. U.S. Congress. 1966. The national historic preservation Act as amended. 16 USC 470-470x-6; P.L. 89-665, 96-515. U.S. Congress. 1916. National Park Service Organic Act. August 25, 1916, 16 USC 1-4, chapter 408; 39 Stat. 535. Virginia Native Plant Society. c.1997. Invasive alien plant species in Virginia. Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation, Richmond, VA. 4 pp. Currently found on the web at http://www.dcr.state.va.us/dnh/invproj.htm . Westbrooks, Randy, G. 1998. Invasive plants, changing the landscape of America: Fact book. Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW), Washington, DC. 109 pp. Appendices Appendix A – Treatment Protocol Examples Appendix B – Invasive Plant Ranking Analysis Appendix C – Monitoring Protocols Appendix D – NEPA/NHPA Compliance Appendix E – Safety Planning Appendix F – Addenda Appendix G – Maps 1 National Park Service Strategic Plan: 1997. 2 Even those nonnative invasives that resemble native pioneers, and are phased out by shade-tolerant species, pose environmental risk by taking the place of natives during their land tenure. 3 Soil compaction disfavors most species, not allowing root expansion. Only a hand full of species are well adapted to compacted ground, many of them nonnative. 4 Only species with canopy cover densities greater than 5% are included in the table. 5 Basal application indicates the spraying of herbicide on the lowest 1-to-2 feet of the outside bark of the plant. 6 Cut stump indicates the cutting down and subsequent herbicide application to the stump surface closest to the cambial growing material. 7 Injection is carried out with E-Z-JectR lances that push a capsule of herbicide into the cambium of a woody plant. 8 Foliar spraying indicates application of herbicide onto green leaf and stem surfaces of the plant. Download 395.58 Kb. Share with your friends:
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