Abstract Detail

Ecological Section

Kurtz, Cassandra Marie [1], Moser, W. Keith [1].

Monitoring the effect of invasive plant species on forest regeneration.

Invasive plants pose a threat to our ecosystems and their management cost billions of dollars each year. These plants are impacting forest and recreation quality. For this study, regeneration data from the 2005 through 2011 Phase 2 Invasive plots collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis crew of the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station were analyzed. Data for invasive plant species were collected on 100 percent of the Phase 2 plots in 11 states of the Midwest from 2005 through 2006 and on 20 percent of the Phase 2 plots in 24 states from 2007 through 2011. From 2005 through 2006 there were 25 invasive plant species monitored and from 2007 through 2011 there were 44 species monitored. Data show an interaction between seedlings, basal area, and invasive plants, suggesting a significant difference between plots with and without invasive plant species and as a function of invasive plant growth habit. Plots with invasive species present tend to have a significantly lower number of seedlings per acre than plots without invasive plants. Looking exclusively at multiflora rose in oak/hickory forests, we found a significant difference between plots with or without this species only in the lower basal area classes (< 60 square feet per acre). The loss of regeneration is a very serious concern for the future forest as sufficient regeneration is a key part of ensuring forest presence into the future. In the future, remeasurement of these plots will provide added information on trends that are occurring within the forest and further explain how these species are affecting regeneration.

Broader Impacts:

1 - USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

Keywords:
invasive plants
invasives
invasive plant
invasive species
regeneration
forest regeneration
oak regeneration
seedling
multiflora rose
Forest Inventory and Analysis.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Grand Salon A - D/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 5:45 PM
Number: PEC017
Abstract ID:520
Candidate for Awards:None