A framework for ecologically-based invasive plant management: John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Hoh S, Rodhouse T, Esposito D, Sheley R, Smith B. 2015. A framework for ecologically-based invasive plant management: John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Natural Resource Report. NPS/UCBN/NRR—2015/911. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Sagebrush steppe is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the Intermountain West. Prior to Euro-American settlement, sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the upper Columbia Basin extended across the eastern half of Washington and Oregon, and the northern Great Basin of southern Idaho. Substantial portions of the region have been converted to agriculture and heavily grazed rangeland. Much of the remaining sagebrush steppe has been degraded through altered fire regimes and invasion of introduced plants. Historic and current land use practices continue to fragment and alter steppe ecosystems and predicted climate change scenarios for the region could exacerbate these changes. Oregon vegetation is heavily influenced by the interactions of climate and topography and it is likely that future climate change will affect plant species by shifting vegetation types (OCCRI 2010). Increased fire activity and expansion of invasive species will also influence the response of native systems to climate change. Ecologically-based invasive plant management may help in fostering ecological resiliency, the capacity of an ecosystem to absorb disturbances such as climate change or wildfire without shifting to a drastically different state that is undesirable. Therefore, fostering resilience is a fundamental goal for ensuring that the negative effects of climate change are minimized or otherwise slowed. The NPS will apply adaptation actions to support resilience in a scientifically rigorous manner by protecting remaining intact plant communities and restoring damaged landscapes through the control of noxious weeds and restoration of native plant species (NPS 2010). This document provides additional guidance for implementing EBIPM in the Monument that provides strategies for invasive plant management in areas that are prioritized into one of three hierarchies based on abundance of native bunchgrass species and exotic annual grass species and proximity to roads and trails. Prevention strategies to reduce invasion by non-native plants are identified for the areas that are in good condition that contain a high percentage of native bunchgrasses.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hoh, Shirley; Rodhouse, Tom; Esposito, Dan; Sheley, Roger; Smith, Brenda
- Date of Issue
- 2015-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- JODA , NRSS , UCBN
- Keywords
- Adaptive management, bunchgrasses, Invasive Plant Inventory, Invasive Plants, Monitoring, Non-Native Plants, prioritizing, PWR-toolkit, Sagebrush, Sagebrush steppe, Sagebrush Steppe Monitoring, Vegetation Inventory