Invasive exotic plant monitoring (year 2) for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Morgan BC, Bingham SN, Young CC, Haack-Gaynor JL. 2018. Invasive exotic plant monitoring (year 2) for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/HTLN/NRDS—2018/1177. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Based on surveys conducted in 2007 and 2016, Heartland Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Network staff and contractors identified 61 invasive exotic plant species at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. No taxa showed mean-ingful evidence for a decline. Multiflora rose and reed canarygrass accounted for the majority of invasive plant cover in the park, covering at least 294 and 257 acres, respectively. Multiflora rose and garlic mustard are the most widespread species in the park, occurring in 91% and 67% of the 822 transects surveyed in 2016. Japanese stilt grass is a standout among species surveyed; it was not observed in the 2007 survey, yet it now covers between 66 and 930 acres in the park. Of the 56 invasive exotic plants recorded in the 2016 survey, 44 species occurred in less than 20% of the 822 transects and six species occupied less than one acre. While the rapid spread of some species is concerning, the relatively low cover of many other species is encouraging and suggests that successful control may be a viable management option. The acreage estimates presented in the report may be used to plan invasive exotic plant control management activities.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Morgan, Brendan; Bingham, Sonia; Young, Craig; Haack-Gaynor, Jennifer
- Date of Issue
- 2018-08
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CUVA , HTLN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Cuyahoga Valley, exotic plant, invasive plants, non-native plants, weeds