Useful information to help

develop a management plan

Mark J Renz
University of Wisconsin-Madison
 1. Establish conservation
goals

6. Review and modify 2. Identify & prioritize

species/infestations
that threaten goals
5. Monitor and assess
impact of management 3. Assess control methods
actions

4. Develop and implement

invasive species management plan

Adaptive Management Loop

 Information I think is important
• Appropriate maps of location
– weed species, locations, densities, and habitats/crops
in fields and adjacent fields

• Historical information

• Biology and management of species present

• Understanding of what the desirable plant

community is and if revegetation/restoration is
required or not
 Make biologically based decisions for
management!
• How do they reproduce?
– Annuals
– Biennials
– Creeping Perennials
– Simple Perennials
Annual plant lifecycle
Biennial
lifecycle
Perennial lifecycle
 Perennial weeds
• Many types, important to
know if
– Creeping
• Ex Russian olive, Canada thistle
– Simple (root crown)
• Ex Multiflora rose, dandelions
 Perennial organs

• Shoots can emerge from perennial

organs deep within the soil.
• Store large amounts of energy
– 40%-90% of total plant biomass
• Grow deep into the soil access
limiting resources (water)
• Can lead to further spread
Why you don’t want to let perennials
go unmanaged

• Canada thistle (creeping perennial)

• 1 root fragment planted in a soil box and let
grow for a little over one year
Shoot and root growth next year
644 ft of roots and 336 ft of shoots
 List of common invasive plants in
CRP fields
• Annuals (2): Japanese hedge parsley, giant ragweed

• Biennials (10): Poison hemlock, garlic mustard, white and yellow sweet
clover, 3 thistles, burdock, wild carrot

• Simple perennials (10): teasels, wild parsnip, hill mustard, purple

loosestrife, curly dock, dames rocket, giant hogweed, wild chervil, knapweeds

• Creeping perennials (11): Chinese lespedeza, crown vetch, Japanese

knotweed, Common tansy, field bindweed, hawkweeds, reed canary grass,
common reed, leafy spurge, Canada goldenrod, Canada thistle

• Woody plants(1): Multiflora rose

 How is the plant is spreading?
• Type of propagule
• Does anything help spread this plant
– Animals
– Wind
– equipment
Who/what is the best at spreading weed
seeds?
1. Birds 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
2. Small mammals
3. Rivers/streams
4. Wind
5. Humans

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 Threat of Spread
• Humans are effective in suppressing vegetation and spreading
propagules

• Birds & small mammals have been shown to be effective a

spreading weed seed long distances.

• Wind: Studies suggest it is not an effective long distance

dispersal mechanism.
– 92% of yellow starthistle seed fall within 2 feet of the parent plant,
with a maximum distance of 16 ft over bare ground with wind gusts of
25 miles/hr. (Roché 1991a, 1992)
• Water
– Estimates suggest 120,000 seeds/acre/year enter fields from irrigation
water.
– Vegetative propagation can provide the major reproduction and
dispersal mechanism for riparian weeds.
 Look for the source of the problem

• Find the source of the

infestation
– On site vs. off site
– Can you reduce/eliminate
source?
What to do if the weed source is off site?
Select as many as 5 choices

1. Nothing 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

2. Encourage the
landowner to manage it
3. Develop a plan to
minimize introduction
4. Manage the infestation
without permission

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Hill Mustard
Leafy spurge
 Other important information

• Maps of land
– Vegetative
– Topographical
– Soil
• Locally important and historical information
• Resources available to accomplish these goals
• Limitations due to rules, regulations, or laws
 Two Different Philosophies

• Weed-based attack
1. Attack the weed wherever it occurs on site
2. Attack off-site infestations

• Spatial distribution-based attack

1. Prioritize your areas of importance
2. Keep uninvaded areas uninvaded
3. Defragment uninvaded sites
4. Expand the uninvaded area outward
 Prioritization
• Think long-term!
• Use goals/objective to drive management plan

DON’T BEGIN AT THE CENTER

 Develop a management plan
100 Acres
Assume equal distribution of purple loosestrife
throughout the area RIVER
EXTERIOR

PERIMETER
100
ACRES

INTERIOR ROAD

PROPERTY
LINE
 What are your goals?

• Identify areas that threaten goal!

• How much money/time do you have to

commit?

• Exterior (Goal:?)
1. Monitor / Survey / Detect
2. Eradicate Spots

• Perimeter & Interior (Goal: ?)

1. Intensive control in prioritized areas
2. Targeted management in other areas
3. cheaper management methods over large areas
 What are your goals?
Promote diversity of native plants and animals
• Identify areas that threaten goal!
– Most diverse and rich habitats

• Exterior : Goal is to Preserve / Protect

– Monitor / Survey / Detect/Eradicate Spots

• Perimeter: Goal is to prevent spread

– Intensive control along edge

• Interior: Goal is remove weed species in crucial

habitat
Intensive control in critical areas
 Mapping
Obtain/create a suitable map to determine
2. What invasive plants you have, where they
are located
3. What sensitive or important areas, where
they are located
4. What other environmental/physical attributes
are present or nearby
1. Water sources
2. Habitat/crop
 First example: purple loosestrife

Yellow = Environmentally sensitive plants

White = pasture
What type of information would I
want to know?
• Geographic variability present
– Soil types, land uses, seasonal variability
• Any endangered/sensitive areas/plants
• Specific info about purple loosestrife
– How long has it been in fields
– Status of infestation (spreading, stagnant, declining)
– effective control methods for purple loosestrife
– restrictions to control methods

• Do I need to restore/revegetate or will suitable

vegetation recover?
 Suggested management plan
Red = Biological control agent
White = spray herbicide
Yellow = hand pull
 Develop a management plan
100 Acres
Goal: productive fish habitat
Garlic mustard
Reed canary grass/ WETLAND RIVER/Riparian area
Canada thistle
Corn/soy

Pasture
Woods

Corn/Soy
Woods

ROAD/ROW
 What type of information would you
want to know?
Garlic mustard
Reed canary grass/ WETLAND RIVER/Riparian area
Canada thistle
Corn/soy

Pasture
Woods

Corn/Soy
Woods

ROAD/ROW
 Which plants oppose your goals
Fish habitat
• Identify areas that threaten goal
– Weeds that do not promote a healthy aquatic system
that promotes fish populations

• Exterior
– Goal: promote healthy community and prevent new
invasions
• Perimeter & Interior
– Goal: prevent spread and reduce area infested in a
manner that limits the spread
 What I would have done
• Priorities:
– Manage weeds upstream the first
– Prioritize garlic mustard as it is a new invasion and can prevent
establishment of saplings
– Put RCG as a low priority as it will require intensive efforts
and may not impact fish habitat as much
• Exterior and Perimeter
– Prevent any garlic mustard from establishing and promote
healthy plant communities
– Look for sources of Canada thistle and garlic mustard and
eliminate
• Interior
– Monitor spread of plants and keep to a minimum
– Promote healthy plant community
 What about
restoration/revegetation?
• Often the reason for invasion is due to a lack
of a healthy system, and restoration is required
to prevent invasion
• Determine what the desirable plant community
is for the land
• Survey to detect if ample plants/seeds are
present to allow for natural recruitment of
desirable species
– If not consider revegetation program
 Integrate management and
restoration/revegetation
• Use management methods that will allow for
selective management while establishing
desirable plants

• Example: Garlic mustard invading edge of forest

– Manage established plants and plant desirable grasses
– Manage future garlic mustard plants establishing in
grass
• Mowing
• Selective herbicides that don’t harm grasses