Exotic plant survey of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area

Elliman, Ted

This botanical survey of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area focuses on the mapping and documentation of 15 exotic vascular plant species on 31 of the islands in the park. These species, chosen because of their widespread distribution on the Harbor Islands, are: 1) (trees) Norway maple (Acer platanoides); sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), white poplar (Populus alba), and English oak (Quercus robur); 2) (shrubs) Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculata), glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus), Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora); 3) (herbaceous plants) common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), pigweed (Chenopodium album), common kochia (Kochia scoparia), broad-leaved pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium), and common reed (Phragmites australis). The presence, frequency, and abundance of these species were documented in 361 fifteen-meter radius plots in the island’s upland, wetland, and upper inter-tidal communities. Other non-native plants found in the plots were also documented. Survey results show that many non-native plant species are widespread and well-established throughout the park’s terrestrial and wetland habitats. The most practical strategy for managing the park’s invasive plant species is to target and remove those populations that threaten rare species and outstanding natural communities. This report recommends 49 removal actions on 19 islands.

Exotic plant survey of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area

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