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A Report on the Progress of Invasive Plant Control Program at AWS

Maryland Native Plant Society, Anacostia Watershed Society and Sierra Club Habitat Stewardship Committee Report for 2006

Non-native invasive species of plants such as English Ivy, Japanese Stiltgrass and Kudzu are covering the natural areas that we in the conservation movement have worked so hard to protect from habitat destruction, erosion and water pollution.  Just as we are making progress on wetlands, stream bank stabilization, and endangered species, these plants from other parts of the world have typically covered 20-90% of the surface area of our forests, streams and meadows. Many of us feel demoralized and powerless to combat these invaders that have few natural herbivores or other controls.

The Maryland Native Plant Society, Anacostia Watershed Society and Sierra Club are establishing a program to provide local groups and public and private landowners with several models to draw upon in the region. We are assisting in developing a major work effort (three to five years) at each site to remove massive populations of about a dozen species. Regular stewardship projects are conducted in all seasons including winter, early spring, late spring, summer, and late summer.  This high-intensity program is followed by a low-intensity annual maintenance program to eliminate plants we have missed, plants emerging from the seed bank, and occasional plants migrating in from neighboring areas. Attachment A announces regular monthly projects at over 40 sites in Maryland almost all of which were initially started as a result of on-the-ground workshops conducted by current MNPS members in Charles County and Montgomery County. The Nature Conservancy has also conducted projects on natural areas for many years. MNPS and the Sierra Club sponsor the monthly projects at Chapman Forest (800 acres), Swann Park (200 acres) and Greenbelt National Park (1.5 square miles). They co-sponsor Little Paint Branch Park (150 acres) and Cherry Hill Road Community Park (15 acres) removals in Beltsville and Magruder Park in Hyattsville MD (15 acres) with the Anacostia Watershed Society and provide considerable assistance to the other projects. These sites serve as a visible example of what can be accomplished. MNPS with Montgomery County and Prince Georges County MNCPPC, Sierra Club and Anacostia Watershed Society developed signs, announcements, flyers, safety and plant identification handouts, sign in sheets and evaluation forms (attachment B).  A summary of AWS generated invasive plant control progress in 2006 (attachment C) is in chronological order where AWS engaged a total of 1082 volunteers at 12 selected parks including one native plant restoration site.  Swann Park had 99 volunteers and Chapman Forest had 78 volunteers.

The biggest challenge is to ensure that in subsequent years all the successful projects are carried on by responsible entities. Our advice to others considering similar projects are to recognize that restoration of our native ecosystem is realistic but requires an appropriate level of work effort.

Many of us have done extensive surveys of this area and find that at least 80% of the natural areas are salvageable with a combination of mechanical and carefully targeted chemical control and no requirement for re-vegetation. The natives return on their own since they initially covered the majority of the surface area. We remove all the class 1 and class 2 exotic species, typically 5-20 species, because otherwise if you just eradicate one exotic another one may replace the one removed.

Our policy is to use carefully targeted, biodegradable herbicides in natural areas, such as glyphosate and triclopyr, that do not migrate through the soil to other plants. Instead of spraying invasive trees such as Ailanthus, Norway Maple, and Chinese Privet we inject concentrated herbicide into the tree either by basal bark, hack and squirt or cut stump. Seedlings are easy to hand pull. We wait for wet soil after a rain to hand pull, first loosening with a garden tool such as a 4 prong spading fork so the center of the plant rises perceptively. At the 200 acre Swann Park, where we are essentially in maintenance phase after 5 years, 17 of the 19 non-native species are eradicated or nearly so. Only Japanese Stiltgrass and Garlic Mustard remain serious. Attachment D.

All the methods, techniques and/or findings of these projects can be used where the initial cover of non-native invasive species is less than 30% of the total plant cover and adequately where under 70% cover. At higher percent coverage the chemical component is more overwhelming and native plant re-vegetation may be necessary with native species that are not cultivars and are obtained from the wild or from nursery stocks originally collected locally in the wild. There are several well researched species mixes that include 12-16 herbaceous and shrub species including nitrogen fixers. Attachment E summarizes the status of native plant restoration at Woodworth Park.

Over 120 professionals and volunteers participated in The Demolition Derby Field Session of the WEED BUSTERS Invasive Plant Workshop at Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, New Jersey, August 9, 2006 which provided practical experience with sites where it is best to use mechanical control and sites where it is efficacious to employ chemical control of Japanese Stiltgrass, Wineberry, Garlic Mustard, Oriental Bittersweet, Multiflora Rose, Japanese Barberry, and Tree of Heaven.  Other invasive species include Porcelain-berry, Mile-a-Minute and Japanese Knotweed. My presentation was How Our Monthly Invasive Plant Removal Project Restored Habitats in 40+ Maryland Sites”. This non-native invasive plant removal reaches maintenance phase following major work efforts at each site through a 5 year long combination of mechanical and carefully targeted chemical control.

Carole F. Bergmann serves as Forest Ecologist/Field Botanist for the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in Montgomery County, MD and presented Mobilizing Citizens to Battle Invasives in a Large County Park System” Learn from our 8 years of experience of reaching out to educate, encourage and train 480 citizen volunteers to direct their time and effort towards forest stewardship as WEED WARRIORS.

Following is my original exploration to a broad audience about the pros and cons of combining true prairie and native meadow restoration with alternative energy. This was followed up by a productive discussion this Fall (attachment F):

-----Original Message-----

At the meeting today we talked about the need for ecological research on growing native American Switch Grass as both a bio-fuel and component of prairie and meadow restoration. We at the Anacostia Watershed Society are planning to grow Switch Grass along the banks of the Anacostia as a component of restoration and may be able to contribute to the research.

The following article by Danielle Murray, Earth Policy Institute, advocates environmentally responsible sources of biomass energy. In particular she notes that "One likely candidate is Switch Grass, a tall perennial grass used by farmers to protect land from erosion. It requires minimal irrigation, fertilizer, or herbicides but yields 2-3 times more ethanol per acre than corn does."

Research is urgent to determine if switch grass is a practicable source of bio-fuel when harvested from native prairie and meadow restoration. It is great as a crop but if it is also good when harvested as a dominate component of native ecosystem restoration we would have an environmental benefit as well as an alternative energy benefit. Native prairie restoration would get a much needed boost across millions of acres in vast areas of the United States that were natural prairies in pre-colonial times.

Fortunately the research just takes a few years unlike forest restoration research. Research will probably yield good results but is still necessary for us to be sure.

Maintenance of these open ecosystems is carried out by a mosaic pattern of fire and/or grazing that follows the natural pattern of fire and grazing by bison and other grazers. Maintenance mowing is done once a year in mid or late summer about one foot above ground. Switch grass is a dominant component of native American prairie and meadow species along with Indian Grass, Joe-pye Weed and Bluestem.

It would be great to have your opinion on the status of research on this issue and what we should advocate. Could you also forward this to researchers with the Kansas restoration project. Cheers.

Marc Imlay , PhD Conservation biologist, Anacostia Watershed Society
301-699-6204, 301-283-0808
Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council,
Hui o Laka at Kokee State Park, Hawaii
Vice president of the Maryland Native Plant Society,
Chair of the Biodiversity and Habitat Stewardship Committee
for the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Thanks again everyone! Marc

Remember our five year goal: It is considered standard that such invasive plant removal projects are normally done throughout the region, the nation, and the world.

AWS Video on Eradicating and Managing Non-Native Invasive Plants: INTRODUCTION INVASIVES PRINCIPLES VOLUNTEER GROUPS & INVASIVES CONTROL PORCELAIN BERRY ENGLISH IVY GARLIC MUSTARD HONEYSUCKLE