[APWG] FW: [Maipc-brd] Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council Biological Control Work Group document on web site

[Marc Imlay]

For the attached Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council Biological Control Work Group document on the Sierra Club website see

 

http://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/land-preservation-tool-kit#invasivespecies

 

Non-native invasive species control

Non-native invasive plants are covering all our natural areas in the region. The quantity of native plants and animals replaced by competition with non-native species is greater than that lost from all other causes except direct development in our terrestrial habitats and water pollution in our aquatic habitats.

Five programs are especially emphasized for successful control of non-native invasive plants, manual removal, the use of carefully targeted herbicides, host specific biological controls, early detection/rapid response, and development of a core of responsible leaders to ensure that in subsequent years all the successful projects are carried on by responsible entities.

For the status of host specific biological controls see  <http://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/maryland-chapter/InvasiveSpecies/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_Feb%201.2016.pdf> http://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/maryland-chapter/InvasiveSpecies/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_Feb%201.2016.pdf

 

 

Marc Imlay, PhD, Chair, MAIPC Biological control working Group Conservation biologist, 

Park Ranger Office, Non-native Invasive Plant Control coordinator.  <mailto:Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com> Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com

(301) 442-5657 cell  Natural and Historical Resources Division

The  Maryland-National   Capital   Park  and Planning Commission

 

From: Eric McKenzie [mailto:eric.mckenzie at mdsierra.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 8:54 PM
To: Imlay, Marc <Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com <mailto:Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com> >
Subject: Re: FW: Work group member

 

Hi Marc,

   I've replaced the content of the  <http://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/land-preservation-tool-kit#invasivespecies> "Non-native invasive species control" section with the content from your email.

Regards,

 Eric




Eric McKenzie
Assistant Webmaster, MD Sierra Club
eric.mckenzie at mdsierra.org <mailto:eric.mckenzie at mdsierra.org> 

 

On Tue, Mar 22, 2016 at 8:28 PM, Imlay, Marc <Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com <mailto:Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com> > wrote:

http://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/land-preservation-tool-kit#invasivespecies

Non-native invasive species control

Non-native invasive plants are covering all our natural areas in the region.  The quantity of native plants and animals replaced by competition with non-native species is greater than that lost from all other causes except direct development in our terrestrial habitats and water pollution in our aquatic habitats.

 

Five programs are especially emphasized for successful control of non-native invasive plants, manual removal, the use of carefully targeted herbicides, 

host specific biological controls, early detection/rapid response, and development of a core of responsible leaders to ensure that in 

subsequent years all the successful projects are carried on by responsible entities. 

 

For the status of host specific biological controls see http://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/maryland-chapter/InvasiveSpecies/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_Feb%201.2016.pdf

 

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. A typical park is 50-500 acres and has over a hundred species of native plants let alone the hundreds of native species of insects, mushrooms, snails, reptiles, mammals and birds that depend upon the plants prior to being covered by monocultures of 5-10 alien species.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed has been heavily urbanized. As a result most natural areas are relatively small, and are surrounded by cities, highways, and agriculture. It consists of islands of nature in a sea of development. It's ecological history includes the full range of mid-Atlantic temperate climate habitats. Maryland was 80% contiguous forest and 20% open in pre-colonial times. Most of Maryland and much of Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well as the District of Columbia are in the watershed ranging from the marine environment, upstream to the Piedmont and the eastern end of the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. There are shale barrens and serpentine barrens, limestone caves, and the northern most bald cypress swamp in America, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp in Calvert County, Maryland.  Reprinted from Wild Ones Journal, July/August 2006  <http://www.for-wild.org/> www.for-wild.org 

  

 

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. 

 

The use of herbicides as a component of non-native invasive species control is absolutely essential if we have any hope of saving about half of the endangered plant species on the IUCN’s red list, let alone biological diversity in general.   It is critical that we support carefully targeted biodegradable herbicides. You may note the response from David Pimentel 

of the Rachel Carson Council in support of our use of herbicides Several of the monocultures of invasive species are allelopathic and put more herbicides in the environment than 

the herbicides used to control them.

  

Of the 15 top non-native invasive plant species in the mid-Atlantic region three (Purple Loosestrife, Mile-a-minute and Garlic Mustard) now have one or two non-native insects or fungi that feed on them. They were brought over after being tested for host specificity in Eurasia and then tested in quarantine conditions in the United States. Typically, about 50 such bio-control agents control these species in their native countries so if one or two can control them here that is amazing. In actuality, bio-controls work about 30% of the time reducing the invasive species to about 10% of its former abundance. The problem of bio-controls harming non-target organisms is only about 3% as frequent as before the new rules of proving host specificity went into effect about 20 years ago.

 

  

Volunteers are critical in the battle to rescue the native ecosystem from non-native invasive plants for several reasons. The most important practical reason is to ensure that herbicides are used to complement, and not substitute for, mechanical removal. We must avoid unnecessary and excessive collateral damage to native plants. 

 

Volunteers are also critical to the public recognition of the importance of control, and eradication where possible, of invasive plants by all of us pulling together. We have found that discussing these two objectives with potential and regular volunteers works well in motivating them to be active.  It is especially valuable to show volunteers massive patches that have replaced natives and also give them a good experience with rescuing large areas from invasive cover. We also show volunteers, while they are pulling new infestations, how valuable their work is because herbicides would otherwise be harmful to the native plants at the site they are working, We then show them monocultures where they can see the necessity of herbicidal control. The volunteers then often advocate public land owners to complement their hard work by herbicidal control 

of the monocultures.

 

 

 

Frequent debate is ongoing about site based versus weed based control. Both approaches are necessary for rescuing our natural areas from non-native invasive species. 

 

Site based control.  The distinction with weed based control is that we are focusing on what we are protecting (endangered species, natural areas), rather than on what we are protecting our resources from (alien invasive species). For example, the 30 acre Magruder Park is the remaining natural area in Hyattsville.  It has been restored from 60% non-native herbaceous, vine, and shrub layer to 30% in 4 years and the native species are returning. MNCPPC Prince Georges



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