Exotic plant management in Acadia National Park, Maine: 2017 annual summary report

Wheeler, Jesse; Fetgatter, Alexander; Stevenson, Nicholas

From the executive summary: "In 2017 the Acadia National Park (ANP) Exotic Plant Management Team (hereafter the EPMT) systematically surveyed 936 acres of forest, wetland, riparian and other habitats for the presence of Invasive Exotic Plant (IEP) species prioritized for management (Figure 1). Of these surveyed acres, 77 were outside of Acadia National Park on partner organizations’ lands. Invasive plants were managed at 72 sites, with treatment area totaling 4.01 infested acres*. All these values have increased from those in 2016. A total of 24 IEPs were managed in 2017 with manual and chemical control methods at ANP. Of these, 21 are species of greatest management concern. Six species from our target list are managed at our population goals of either full suppression or reduced below management threshold - Amur maple (Acer ginnala), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), burning bush (Euonymus spp.), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), and spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) - whereas most of the remaining species have made progress toward their management goals during 2017. The four person crew logged over 1,609 hours (with an Acadia Scholar Intern and volunteers contributing an additional 130 hours) toward managing IEPs and rehabilitating landscapes. In total, 8.3 gallons of undiluted herbicide were applied in addition to mechanical treatments. In 2017 the team continued to develop and maintain partnerships with local and state organizations, increased outreach efforts by presenting posters at events, educated interested visitors and local landowners, and maintained commercial pesticide applicator licenses. The EPMT continued to restore and maintain native plantings in cultural landscapes at Sieur de Monts, and assisted with a revegetation project on the Cadillac Mountain summit. The EPMT also monitored research transects or plots for glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula, syn. Frangula alnus), purple loosestrife, and Norway maple, and assisted visiting scientists in setting up and collecting data for their own experimental vegetation plots. Direct program costs for fiscal year 2017 were $211,339. This program is funded primarily through four grants and other 'soft' funding sources, including a donation from the Federal Aviation Administration to mitigate wetland impacts from expanding the runway at the Hancock County Airport, NPS recreational fee revenues and a grant from Canon USA, Inc. procured by Friends of Acadia. This figure includes personal services for the crew and a portion of the park’s Vegetation Program Manager’s salary, as well as supplies, equipment, and limited training and travel. Maintenance and administrative support, offices, storage, vehicle maintenance, and fuel were funded through other NPS operational funds and are not included in the figure above."

Exotic plant management in Acadia National Park, Maine: 2017 annual summary report

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