[APWG] microstegium management

[S. Luke Flory]

Thanks for the link Russ.

Coincidentally, we just had some more research published on the response 
of native communities to removal of Microstegium. The paper is titled, 
"Invasive plant removal method determines native plant community 
responses" and can now be accessed in the Online Early section at the 
Journal of Applied Ecology. I have pasted the abstract below and you can 
contact me for the PDF if you don't have full text access to JAE.

This is a follow-up to my recent publication in Restoration Ecology on 
managing invasions. I do agree though - our research certainly isn't 
keeping up with the spread of invasions.

Luke



Invasive plant removal method determines native plant community responses

S. Luke Flory and Keith Clay
Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East 3rd Street, 
Bloomington, IN 47405, USA

Summary
1.Restoration of habitats invaded by non-native plants should include 
both the removal of invasive
plants and re-establishment of native plant communities. To develop 
appropriate restoration
strategies and quantify the effects of invasions, experiments that 
evaluate multiple removal methods
and native community responses to those removal methods are needed.
2.We evaluated the response of native plant communities to removal of 
the invasive grass
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass) in eastern forests in the 
USA. At eight field sites in
southern Indiana, we applied three common removal treatments and 
compared native community
responses among treatments and to untreated reference plots.
3.After 2 years of treatment, native community responses to Microstegium 
removal varied significantly
among methods and plant functional groups in autumn 2006. Graminoid 
richness was greater
when the invader was removed with hand-weeding, while graminoid biomass 
was lower in plots
treated with post-emergent herbicide compared to reference plots. Forb 
richness was greater with
hand-weeding and post-emergent herbicide compared to plots treated with 
post-emergent plus
pre-emergent herbicides or untreated plots. Forb biomass was greater 
across all removal treatments.
Overall native community diversity was 24% greater when the invasion was 
removed with handweeding
and 21% greater with post-emergent herbicide compared to reference 
plots. No positive
response in plant diversity occurred with post-emergent plus 
pre-emergent herbicide.
4. By spring 2007, graminoid percentage cover was greater with 
hand-weeding but not with
herbicide treatments compared to untreated plots. However, forb cover 
was greater across all
removal treatments compared to plots where the invader was not removed. 
The density of native
tree seedlings was 123% greater in post-emergent herbicide treated plots 
than in untreated plots,
indicating that the invasion was inhibiting tree recruitment.
5. Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that multiple 
techniques can be used to
control invasive plants but that the responses of native plant 
communities vary among removal
methods. Further, greater native plant diversity and biomass following 
removal shows that
invasions were suppressing native plant communities. Management of plant 
invasions should
consider not only the effectiveness of removal methods but also how 
different methods influence
native plant responses.

Key-words: diversity, evenness, grass-specific post-emergent herbicide, 
hand-weeding, Japanese
stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum, non-native grass, pre-emergent 
herbicide, richness



ForestRuss at aol.com wrote:
> Dear All:
>  
> During the past several years I have spent a nearly obscene amount of 
> time trying to figure out how to control the spread of Japanese 
> stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum, in my extremely fertile central 
> West Virginia woodland that is near the epicenter of a major invasion 
> by the weed.
>  
> It appears that the spread of Microstegium is far outpacing the 
> research that is investigating the environmental impacts and 
> consequences of a stiltgrass invasion.
>  
> With that in mind. I recently prepared an article for the Woodland 
> Owners Association of West Virginia newsletter listing insights I have 
> developed and suggestions for containing the spread of stiltgrass.
>  
> I hope that the information on the following link is of some use to 
> APWG or PCA list members.
>  
>  
> http://www.forestguild.org/ecological_forestry/Stiltgrass_and_woodsroad_maintenance.pdf
>  
> Russ Richardson
>  
>
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