Download Green Mountain National Forest Dorset-Peru Integrated Resource Area Non-Native Invasive Species Inventory

Green Mountain National Forest
Dorset-Peru Integrated Resource Area
Non-Native Invasive Species Inventory
Prepared for the Green Mountain National Forest Service by
The LAND Stewardship Program
July 2009
1
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank several parties for making this report possible. First, we would like to
thank the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) for providing financial support for crew time
and for allowing us to use the Mount Tabor Work House and welcoming our team to the project.
Also, thank you to Melissa Reichert, Kate Walker, and Mary Beth Deller of the GMNF for their
fantastic support and training. We would also like to recognize Kim Hoffman for her help.
LANDS work was also supported by a TogetherGreen (an alliance of Audubon and Toyota)
grant and support from the Conservation Leadership Seed Fund of the Rubenstein School of
Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont (UVM). The Student
Conservation Association (SCA) contributed administrative and program support, oversight,
time, and financial resources. Finally, thanks to the Green House Residential Learning
Community staff at UVM for lending us their great facilities.
About the LANDS College Conservation Corps
The field of conservation is rapidly evolving to meet the growing demands of society. New
ideas and strategies are changing how we conserve and steward land. The Land Stewardship
Program (LANDS) is one of these new ideas. During the great depression, the conservation corps
model was pioneered as a means to promote stewardship in the nation and provide jobs for the
unemployed. That idea has since been reinvented 116 times by local and state corps across the
United States. However, the general theme is the same -- young people learning and growing
through service. LANDS is an innovative College Conservation Corps designed to train
tomorrow’s conservationist practitioners and leaders, and is a pilot partnership between the
UVM and the Student Conservation Association in its third year of successful programming.
LANDS crew interns work on projects that are more technical than traditional crew work for
a broad range of public and private non-profit organizations. They draft management plans, map
areas of interest using GPS and GIS, inventory resources, calculate carbon stocks, and even find
time to build trails and remove invasive species. Municipalities, land trusts, state agencies,
university researchers, National Forests and Parks, and volunteer-managed conservation
organizations all benefit from LANDS’s high quality, affordable products. LANDS interns are
advanced undergraduates in the natural resources field from all over the world with a range of
skills and interests. LANDS is a unique service-learning model that will hopefully be replicated
at universities across the nation to address an ever expanding list of conservation needs while
training students as future environmental leaders.
http://www.uvm.edu/~conserve/lands_website/
Cover Photo: Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) climbing a trail sign on the Dorset/Peru property.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................... 2 About the LANDS College Conservation Corps ...................................................................... 2 Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 4 Project Description................................................................................................................ 4 Methods................................................................................................................................. 4 Green Mountain National Forest Non-Native Invasive Species List.................................... 5 Current Conditions.................................................................................................................... 6 Data Organization ................................................................................................................. 6 Dorset Peru IRA NNIS: Overview Map ........................................................................... 7 NNIS Maps & Descriptions .................................................................................................. 8 Lower FR 10: .................................................................................................................... 8 Old Job Trail Area: ......................................................................................................... 10 FR 259:............................................................................................................................ 12 Rt. 11:.............................................................................................................................. 16 Grouse Lane:................................................................................................................... 18 Kirby Hollow Road:........................................................................................................ 20 FR 221: (No Map Provided) ........................................................................................... 22 Report Summary ..................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix................................................................................................................................. 24 NNIS Form from GMNF .................................................................................................... 24 NNIS Counts....................................................................................................................... 26 Upper Row left to right:
Lydia Menendez (leader), Andrea
Lauritzen, Arthur Zahor, Andrea
Bruno, Gavin Cotterill, James Barnes
(leader & program coordinator).
Lower Row: Tim Villard, Ellen
Kujawa, Lisa Fredette, Charlotte
Gabrielsen, Lauren Bizzari.
All are holding non-native
Aegopodium podagraria- “Goutweed”)
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Introduction
Project Description
The 2009 Land Stewardship (LANDS) crew prepared this report in July 2009 for the
Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) in Dorset/Peru, Vermont. The Green Mountain
National Forest manages federal resources for both present and future generations. Nonnative invasive plant species (NNIS) threaten the health and stability of intact forest habitat
because they do not provide the same ecological functions as native species. NNIS outcompete native plant species and fail to provide wildlife with adequate food or shelter. The
area surveyed by the LANDS team is part of the Dorset Peru Integrated Resource Area (IRA)
and will be managed to maintain the ecological, social, and economic sustainability over the
long-term. Early detection and rapid response to invasive species can increase the chances of
successfully minimizing threats while populations are still localized. Once populations are
widely established, it becomes more difficult to mitigate negative impacts. In addition, longterm invasive species management programs have lower costs associated with maintenance
and removal shorter term efforts.
Methods
Working in teams of two, LANDS interns surveyed areas within the Dorset/Peru area
for the non-native invasive species listed on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF)
NNIS list (see page 5). The NNIS inventories focused on important vector areas (trails,
roads, water ways, etc.) in the Dorset/Peru IRA, as well as places where no previous NNIS
inventory had been recorded. A NNIS data form provided by the GMNF was filled out for
areas where infestations of invasive species occurred (see Appendix). Waypoints for the
geographic location of infestations were collected using Garmin GPS units. For larger
infestations, interns walked around the perimeter of the infested area to create a polygon with
the GPS unit. Waypoints were also taken to indicate where trail maintenance was needed,
such as on blocked or water logged trails. Geographic data from GPS units was imported into
ArcGIS software to create maps of the NNIS infestations and trail maintenance needs.
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Green Mountain National Forest Non-Native Invasive Species List 1
Scientific Name
Common Name
Data
Entry
Code
National I-Rank 2
Species Listed in Federal Noxious Weed Legislation
Heracleum mantegazzianum
giant hogweed
HEMA17
Medium/Low
AEPO
ALPE4
CEOR
LONIC for
all
Low
High/Medium
High/Medium
High/Medium for all but
L. maackii, which is High
LOJA
LYSA2
PHAU7
POCU6
RHCA3
FRAL4
High/Medium
High
High
High/Medium
High/Medium
High/Medium
ACPL
ANSY
BETH
BEVU
ROMU
High/Medium
Not yet assessed
High/Medium
Medium/Low
Medium/Low
Class B Noxious Weeds 3
Aegopodium podagraria
Alliaria petiolata
Celastrus orbiculatus
L. maackii, L. morrowii, L.
tatarica, & L. x bella
Lonicera japonica
Lythrum salicaria
Phragmites australis
Polygonum cuspidatum
Rhamnus cathartica
Rhamnus frangula (=Frangula
Alnus)
goutweed
garlic mustard
Asiatic bittersweet
Shrubby honeysuckles
(amur, morrow, tatarian, &
Bell’s honeysuckle); also
referred to as “exotic bush
honeysuckles”
Japanese honeysuckle
purple loosestrife
common reed
Japanese knotweed
common buckthorn
glossy buckthorn
Watch Species
Acer platanoides
Anthriscus sylvestris
Berberis thunbergii
Berberis vulgaris
Rosa multiflora
Norway maple
wild chervil
Japanese barberry
common barberry
multiflora rose
1
This is an abbreviated list of NNIS species provided by the Forest Service. Species that were not of specific
concern or high priority in the area of focus in this project were omitted.
2
National I-Ranks are from NatureServe (2008) and are based on an assessment of invasiveness.
3
Any noxious weed that is not native to the state, is of limited distribution statewide, and poses a serious threat to
the State, or any other designated noxious weed being managed to reduce its occurrence and impact in the State.
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Current Conditions
Data Organization
The following maps show key areas where NNIS were located in the Dorset/ Peru
Integrated Resource Area. They are arranged North to South and by access road. The last
two maps are Kirby Hollow Rd and Grouse Lane which were not in our focus area, but
located to the east in the Dorset–Peru Remote Backcountry Forest Management Area.
Non-native invasive honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.)
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Dorset Peru IRA NNIS: Overview Map
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NNIS Maps & Descriptions
Lower FR 10:
FR10: Forest Access Road
• Invasive plants: The predominant NNIS for this road are honeysuckle and garlic
mustard. Other NNIS species found were small single plants of common barberry and
multiflora rose. Since garlic mustard is an easy species to remove, the crew
eliminated this population. However, yearly monitoring will be necessary to curb any
future growth. Most honeysuckle plants were fairly small and could be easily
eliminated, although there were a few larger, well-established shrubs which might
take more removal effort.
• Trail Conditions: The road is in good condition.
AT/LT (south to Griffith Lake): Hiking Trail
• Invasive plants: Intact forest; no invasives. This trail requires no immediate invasive
species management, but should be monitored for future infestations.
• Trail conditions: Wet and muddy. Some trail maintenance would be helpful to hikers.
FR 322: Old logging road
• Invasive plants: Teams found small populations of buckthorn, honeysuckle and
Phragmites. These invasive plants were newly-established and could be easily
removed. In any case, this old logging road should be monitored for the spread of
these invasive plants.
• Trail conditions: Wet and muddy. Some trail maintenance would be helpful to hikers.
Trail Maintenance need on AT/LT at Bromley Mountain
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9
Old Job Trail Area:
FR 30/30A: Old Logging Road
• Invasive plants: Teams found honeysuckle, barberry and large patches of wild chervil
within the middle of the trail. The honeysuckle and barberry is easy to remove, and
although the wild chervil is somewhat more difficult, we recommend removing it as
soon as possible.
• Trail conditions: We recommend placement of a water bar and the removal of several
fallen trees.
Old Job: AT Trail
• Invasive plants: The crew found a patch of garlic mustard at the Old Job trail
trailhead. This patch was removed, but should be continually monitored. Teams also
observed several small honeysuckle shrubs, which are easily removed.
• Trail conditions: We recommend placing a sign at the trailhead warning hikers of the
stream crossing near the Old Job Shelter.
Corridor 7: Snowmobile Trail
• Invasive plants: Except for the patch of garlic mustard at the trailhead parking lot of
the Old Job trail, no invasives were found. The trail should be periodically monitored.
• Trail conditions: The lower end of this trail was well-maintained. The upper end,
however, was so muddy that at times the trail seemed more like a streambed than a
trail. The trail map provided by the Forest Service also appears to be inaccurate in
terms of distances, and the spur trail (to Little Mud Pond) does not seem to exist.
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11
FR 259:
FR 259: Residential Road
• Invasive plants: This road had the highest number of non-native invasive species.
Species observed include: Asiatic bittersweet, honeysuckle, common buckthorn,
Japanese knotweed, wild chervil, common barberry, Japanese barberry, multiflora
rose, goutweed, and garlic mustard. The garlic mustard, honeysuckle and buckthorn
seem to be the greatest in abundance. All visible garlic mustard was removed, but
locations should be monitored in future years.
• Trail conditions: The road is well-maintained, but there are some issues of slope
instability in the wooded section. The side of the slope is falling away under tree
roots, which might cause issues of downed trees in the road at a later time.
Lake Trail/ Baker Peak Trail: Hiking Trail
• Invasive plants: Teams found and removed a large patch of garlic mustard at the
trailhead. Team also found a single honeysuckle .5 miles up the trail.
• Trail conditions: Trail is well-maintained.
Non Native Invasive Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestri)
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FR 21/21A + FR 58:
FR 21/21A: Forest Roads
• Invasive plants: Honeysuckle was found along FR 21 at roughly the road's midpoint.
There is also a patch of Japanese knotweed on the east end of FR 21A near Hapgood
Pond. Honeysuckle was also found on an old beaver dam surrounded by core forest.
• Trail conditions: Variable. Some sections are deeply rutted and appeared to be
worsening from heavy rains, others are in great shape.
FR 58: Forest Road
• Invasive plants: None.
• Trail conditions: The road is in good condition with no obstacles or obstructions.
AT/LT (North to Griffith Lake):Hiking Trail
• Invasive plants: None.
• Trail conditions: Trail is well-maintained.
Non-native invasive common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) removal
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Rt. 11:
Route 11/30: Busy Highway
• Invasive plants: The crew found mature seeding invasive honeysuckle, mature glossy
buckthorn, mature common buckthorn, Japanese and common barberry, Japanese
knotweed, and Norway maple.
• Trail conditions: Road is well-maintained.
AT/LT (North to 21): Hiking Trail
• Invasive plants: The crew found honeysuckle and oriental bittersweet at the Rt. 11
trail head. The trail itself was clear of invasives. The honeysuckle and bittersweet
could be easily removed. In any case, this trail should be periodically monitored for
population growth.
• Trail conditions: Some trail erosion was found about .5 miles up from trailhead on the
left side. Some puncheons need to be repaired or redone. Two widow makers were
found .7 miles from the summit as well as 1 mile north of Bromley Summit. Other
areas are recommended to have puncheons.
Ski Trail (East Side of Mt. Bromley): Hiking Trail and Ski Lift Clearing
• Invasive plants: None.
• Trail conditions: Trail was well-maintained.
Non-native invasive common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
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Grouse Lane:
Grouse Lane (off Northern end of Tower Road)
• Invasive plants: The trail itself was clear of invasives, but the perimeter of the parking
lot and road had populations of honeysuckle, garlic mustard, multiflora rose,
buckthorn and goutweed. Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), a commonly
planted exotic groundcover was also found. It is not a species of concern for the
GMNF, but indicates the connection between horticultural plantings and this site. The
garlic mustard was removed, but this area should be monitored since these invasives
could easily spread up the trail and into the undisturbed forest. Neighbors and/or
property managers may be dumping yard waste at this location based on the presence
of so many commonly planted exotics, or it may be an old homestead site.
• Trail conditions: The road leading to the trailhead was in good condition (with the
exception of some muddy potholes). The trails were fine, but there were some
downed trees that warrant removal.
Trail issues along AT/LT at Bromley Mountain
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Kirby Hollow Road:
Kirby Hollow Road (Northern End): Residential Road
• Invasive Plants: The crew found honeysuckle, buckthorn, Japanese barberry, common
barberry, and autumn olive along the main road and longing roads. These plants could
be easily removed, and the area should be monitored.
• Trail Conditions: For a Class 4 road, this was in remarkably good condition.
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21
FR 221: (No Map Provided)
Little Michigan Trail (Trailhead): Hiking Trail
• Invasive plants: Teams found a small population of multiflora rose, which could be
easily removed.
• Trail conditions: Trail is well-maintained.
221 (Northern Tip on Forest Land): Paved Becoming Dirt Road
• Invasive plants: Teams found a small population of honeysuckle, which could be
easily removed to prevent further spread. Another small occurrence was found near
the intersection with 21A.
• Trail conditions: Trail is well-maintained.
Non-native invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) removal
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Report Summary
Overall, the Dorest Peru Integrated Resource Area of the Green Mountain National
Forest is not heavily infested with NNIS. Many trails, especially inner trails were entirely
clear of invasives, and most were only sparsely infested. The areas of largest concern were
trailheads and residential roads where the public land use impact is greatest. Openings in the
forest (e.g. landings and beaver dams) were also infested disproportionally. The Forest
Service could manage invasive species by removing existing populations with early detection
and rapid response, checking and removing reoccurring species growth annually, and by
educating the public on the dangers of planting non-native plants.
The existing populations could be fairly easily removed by a crew of volunteers or
workers. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, for example, contracts out crews for trailbuilding and invasive species removal projects.
The Nature Conservancy provides support and educational resources to organization
hoping to combat invasive populations. A large part of this effort is community and business
education – homeowners need to be aware of the ecological implications of planting nonnative invasive species on their properties and business owners need to be aware of the
ecological ramifications of selling or planting NNIS. People may not even know that the
species they plant in their gardens can be transported to otherwise undisturbed areas (e.g.
Goutweed), and that these colonizations can result in the eradication of native species.
The continued monitoring of invasive populations (and areas that are currently not
populated by invasives) is necessary. For example, though the LANDS crew removed
several infestations of garlic mustard, this invasive species maintains a seed bank that can
survive for up to seven years. Even though it is easy to focus on areas that have been overrun
with NNIS, areas with small populations of invasives should also be closely monitored –
“early detection, rapid response” is the most efficient way of dealing with invasive species.
Many of the areas we surveyed had only small populations of NNIS, which could be
eradicated relatively easily.
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Appendix
NNIS Form from GMNF
Invasive Plant Data Form for Green Mountain & Finger Lakes NF, 2009 v.2
General Site Data:
Site ID_0920__________________________________________________________
Instructions:
• 1st 2 #s are region 09, 2nd 2 are Forest 20
• 3rd 2 are district (01 = Middlebury, 02 = Manchester, 03 = Hector, 05 = Rochester)
• 4th part is the name of the site, e.g., Smith Rd. or Mt. Horrid
• 5th part is the first 2 letters of the genus & species names of the invasive plants found at the site, e.g., for
multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), you’d record ROMU (skip if none found)
• 6th part: if you record >1 infestation for a single species at a site, the 1st one would have 01 at the end of it,
the 2nd would have 02, and so on (skip if none found)
Date (MMDDYYYY) _______________ Project Name__________________________
(This will be provided for you.)
Examiner Last name ________________First name____________ Middle initial______
Ownership (indicate whether USDA FS, private, or other) __________________________
If USDA FS, list Forest (GMNF or FLNF) __________ & District __________________
State ________County______________________ Topographic quad________________
Waypoint Name_ _ _ _ _ _
Provide location (UTM)
UTM Datum ________Zone ____ Easting _______________Northing ______________
Dominant Life Form _ _ (AL = algae; FN = forb/herb; FU = fungus; GR = graminoid; LC = lichen; LI =
liana; NP = nonvascular plant; SH = shrub; SS = sub-shrub; TR = tree; UN = unknown; VI = vine)
Natural Community Description: please describe the natural community you have surveyed,
including list a few of the more common plants (associated species).
Associated Species (not required, but helpful)
Common Name ___________________OR Genus ________________& species____________________
Common Name ___________________OR Genus ________________& species____________________
Common Name ___________________OR Genus ________________& species____________________
Did you find any non-native invasive plants? __yes __no
If yes, fill out the Invasive Species Data. If no, stop there.
Invasive Species Data:
Plant Code _ _ _ _ _ _ (see list provided; usually 4-6 letters)
Common Name ___________________OR Genus ______________ species __________
Phenology _ _
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(For forbs/shrubs use: F1 = pre-flowering; F2 = flowering; F3 = fruiting; F4 = senescent/dormant.)
(For graminoids use: G1 = leaves partially developed/no heads; G2 = inflorescence inside the sheath; G3 =
flower partially or fully exerted from the sheath; G4 = seeds maturing or mature; G5 = senescent/dormant.)
Life Form of the invasive plant _ _ (Use same codes as above for Dominant Life Form)
Infested Area: Infested Area is defined as the area of land, in acres, containing a single invasive species
delineated by the actual perimeter of the infestation or population as defined by the outer edge of the canopy
cover of the plants or the visible population of other taxa, excluding adjacent areas not infested and outside the
perimeter of the population. Canopy cover is used only to delineate the perimeter of the infestation.
Infested Area _____x_____ Square feet (provide if small) ________ Acres (enter to the nearest 0.0001; if
square feet given, convert to acres here by dividing the by 43,560 square feet per acre.) It is okay to estimate!
Percent Infested: The estimate of “% Infested” is influenced by the perimeter of the infestation, the distribution
of plants within the perimeter, species growth characteristics, site characteristics and the degree to which the
created feature represents the actual infestation.
If an infestation of starthistle, for example, has 1-5% canopy cover with plants and patches scattered evenly
across a grassland site and the 2–acre created polygon captures the spatial extent of the infestation, the “%
Infested” is 100% or equal to the area of the created polygon. If, however, Canada thistle is found growing in a
series of stringer draws or narrow swales with 35% canopy cover but due to the complexity of the site and the
distribution of Canada thistle along the draws a single large polygon is created that does not follow the
perimeter of stringer draws. Even though the polygon is 20 acres the “% Infested” would typically be a much
lower value such as 10%, or in other words, 2 acres of Canada thistle within a 20 acre mapping area
(NFS Invasive Species Management Business Rules & Standards Updated 01/29/2009).
Percent Infested: (You may choose between the two sets of cover codes; the Daubenmire is preferred, since
it is the most consistent from person to person.)
Daubenmire Codes
__ T (0.1-1%)
__ 1 (1.1-5%)
__ 2 (5.1-25%)
__ 3 (25.1-50%)
__ 4 (50.1-75%)
__ 5 (75.1-95%)
__ 6 (95.1-100%)
Cover Ten Codes
__ T (0.1-1%)
__ 0 (1.1-5%)
__ 1 (5.1-15%)
__ 2 (15.1-25%)
__ 3 (25.2-35%)
__ 4 (35.1-45%)
__ 5 (45.1-55%)
__ 6 (55.1-65%)
__ 7 (65.1-75%)
__ 8 (75.1-85%)
__ 9 (85.1-95%)
__ A (95.1-99%)
__ X (100%)
Distribution _ _ (CL = plants in clumps; LI – linear distribution, e.g., along roads; SE = scattered evenly; SP =
scattered patchy.)
Within the infestation, how much of the vegetation canopy cover does this species represent?
__ T (0-1%)
__L (1.1-5%)
__M (5.1-25%) __H (25.1-100%)
Comments (not required, but very helpful)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Map of site (include N/S arrow) – draw a polygon that indicates the infestation at the site.
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NNIS Counts
Road Name
Forest Road 10
AT/LT South to Griffith Lake
Forest Road 322
Forest Road 30/30A
Old Job Trail
Corridor 7
Forest Road 221
Little Michigan Area
Route 11
Forest Road 30
AT/LT North to 21
Ski Trail
Grouse Lane
(printed data forms read Tower
Road)
Kirby Hollow Road
Forest Road 259 (continued)
Non-Native Invasives
17 Honeysuckle
6 Garlic Mustard
2 Multiflora Rose
1 Common Barberry
None
2 Honeysuckle
2 Common Buckthorn
1 Phragmites
6 Honeysuckle
3 Wild Chervil
1 Japanese Barberry
1 Honeysuckle
1 Garlic Mustard
None
1 Honeysuckle
1 Multiflora Rose
41 Honeysuckle
3 Common Buckthorn
2 Japanese Knotweed
1 Phragmites
1 Common Barberry
1 Japanese Barberry
1 Norway Maple
1 Glossy Buckthorn
6 Honeysuckle
3 Wild Chervil
1 Japanese Barberry
4 Honeysuckle
1 Oriental Bittersweet
None
7 Honeysuckle
2 Garlic Mustard
2 Multiflora Rose
1 Goutweed
1 Buckthorn
9 Honeysuckle
6 Buckthorn
2 Japanese Barberry
1 Autumn Olive
1 Common Barberry
18 Garlic Mustard
16 Honeysuckle
26
Forest Road 259 (continued)
13 Common Buckthorn
8 Goutweed
4 Multiflora Rose
3 Japanese Barberry
2 Common Barberry
2 Japanese Knotweed
2 Wild Chervil
1 Asiatic Bittersweet
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