Klamath Network Early Detection Invasive Species Monitoring

Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network; Youngblood, Lauren

Non-native, invasive species are a paramount concern in virtually all natural areas and, not surprisingly, ranked as the top vital sign for monitoring within the Klamath Network. Impacts of invasives threaten the core goals of the National Park Service. Invasive species are second only to habitat loss as a threat to native biodiversity (Wilcove et al. 1998). Impacts from invasives that can severely degrade native ecosystems include the replacement of native vegetation (Tilman 1999), the loss of rare species (King 1985), changes in ecosystem structure (Mack and D’Antonio 1998), alteration of nutrient cycles and soil chemistry (Ehrenfeld 2003), shifts in community productivity (Vitousek 1990), changes in water availability (D’Antonio and Mahall 1991), and alteration of disturbance regimes (Mack and D’Antonio 1998). Invasive species having these effects are ecosystem transformers. Invasive species capable of transforming ecosystems are the focus of this protocol. Invasive plant species also negatively affect park resources in non-ecological ways that are a threat to National Park Service goals. Visitor enjoyment can be impaired in several ways, including altering landscapes and historic viewsheds, encroaching upon trails, and acting as a form of visual pollution. Invasives may hinder trail work by diverting resources or increasing trail maintenance needs. Despite much appreciation for the potential negative effects of invasives, our understanding of their full consequences and manifestations is far from complete. Monitoring can play a key role in filling this void and help with managing to limit the consequences of invasives. This protocol will focus on species that are not yet well established and are along roads and trails. Part of the reason this protocol focuses on early detection along the roads and trails is because the vegetation monitoring protocol the Network is developing proposes to broadly sample invasive plants, both spatially and taxonomically. The invasive species early detection protocol described here and the vegetation protocol complement one another to provide a broader picture of invasive species’ status and trends than either would alone.

Klamath Network Early Detection Invasive Species Monitoring

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