Invasive and exotic plant management in Denali National Park and Preserve: 2016 summary report

Lay J and Mahovlic W. 2016. Invasive and exotic plant management in Denali National Park and Preserve: 2016 summary report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/DENA/NRR—2016/1352. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado

This report describes the work performed by the Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) at Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA) during the 2016 field season. This marks the twelfth season DENA has monitored and controlled invasive plants in accordance with the Alaska Exotic Plant Management Team protocol (Million et al. 2016). The 2016 DENA EPMT conducted the majority of field work in the entrance area. We also performed control efforts along the park road, including miles 17 to 42 and 70 to 92, as well as the airstrip in Kantishna (Mile 92). The 2016 EPMT further monitored and controlled invasive plants within the community of McKinley Village and on the George Parks Highway. The team mapped 3.28 gross infested acres of invasive plants, all of which were treated manually or chemically. EPMT staff chemically treated infestations of flixweed (Descurainia sophia), bird vetch (Vicia cracca), foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) and narrowleaf hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum). We manually treated a total of six invasive plant species in DENA and three outside park boundaries in 2016. The DENA EPMT also conducted revegetation of disturbed sites with native species. These projects were completed at the beginning of the season to allow the seeds to germinate, creating enough of a root system to survive the winter and prevent erosion of the soil from spreading into the surrounding ecosystem. Exotic plant management at DENA is an ongoing effort to prevent the introduction of new invasive plants species, reduce current infestations, and restore native plant communities (Figure 1).

Type
Published Report
Authors
Lay, Jamie; Mahovlic, Wendy
Date of Issue
2016-12
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
DENA , NRSS
Keywords
Alaska, bird vetch, Common dandelion, Crepis tectorum, DENA, Denali National Park, Descurainia sophia, EPMT, exotic plant, flixweed, foxtail barley, Hordeum jubatum, management, narrowleaf hawksbeard, Preserve, restoration, revegetation, Taraxacum officinale, Vicia cracca
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants

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