Advanced Search Results Detail

Project ID: 00-1-2-06

Year: 2001

Date Started: 11/19/2000

Date Completed: 10/04/2004

Title: Fire Management Options to Control Woody Invasive Plants in the Northeastern and the Mid-Atlantic U.S.

Project Proposal Abstract: We address Task 2, the interaction of fire and invasive plants, regarding the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. Invasive plants are increasingly recognized as serious threats to biodiversity and native ecosystems in our region. Use of prescribed fire to control their spread can be counter-productive because bums are typically conducted during dormancy. A short-term reduction in stem cover is usually followed by increased population vigor within 1-2 years post-fire. Our objective is to provide to managers a scientific basis for (1) reliable control methods, (2) identification of those habitats which are especially vulnerable to invasion and a subsequent altered fire regime, and (3) prioritization for control efforts. In a replicated experiment, we will test the null hypothesis that, in response to a cut/bum/cut treatment, total available carbohydrates in roots for 4-5 woody invasive species do not differ from nearby control populations. To characterize invasible habitats, we will develop and test a survey method for fuel loads, distribution, and abundance of invasive plants. We will quantify fuel loads of invaded landscapes both before and after treatments that reduce the presence of invasive species. We will establish a system for prioritizing invasive plant populations for treatment based on invasive plant flammability, life history features, and proximity of invasive populations to (a) rare plant habitat, (b) exemplary natural communities, and/or (c) disturbance corridors. We will assess the effectiveness of treatments applied at different seasonal growth stages of target plants, and compare results to predictions based on our experimental data. We will prepare fire/invasive plant management recommendations that apply to problem plants and protected habitats in the region, and disseminate results to land managers in a regional Workshop and by print and internet media.

Principal Investigator: Alison C. Dibble

Agency/Organization: Forest Service

Branch or Dept: NRS-Northern Research Station

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	John C. Brissette	Forest Service	NRS-Northern Research Station
Co-Principal Investigator	William A. Patterson	University of Massachusetts	Department of Environmental Conservation
Co-Principal Investigator	Julie Richburg	University of Massachusetts	Department of Forestry & Wildlife Management
Collaborator/Contributor	David W. Crary	NPS-National Park Service	Cape Cod National Seashore
Collaborator/Contributor	Mark J. Ducey	University of New Hampshire	Department of Natural Resources & the Environment
Collaborator/Contributor	Neil Gifford	The Nature Conservancy	Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Collaborator/Contributor	Bryan Gorsira	NPS-National Park Service	Manassas National Battlefield
Collaborator/Contributor	Linda Gregory	NPS-National Park Service	Acadia National Park
Collaborator/Contributor	Katherine O'Brien	FWS-Fish and Wildlife Service	Rachel Carson NWR
Collaborator/Contributor	Diane Pavek	NPS-National Park Service	Center for Urban Ecology
Collaborator/Contributor	Thomas Phillips	Forest Service	Green Mountain NF-Manchester Ranger Station
Collaborator/Contributor	Gerald Smith	BLM-Bureau of Land Management	Battle Mountain District Office
Collaborator/Contributor	Richard Vollick	FWS-Fish and Wildlife Service	Sunkhaze Meadows NWR
Collaborator/Contributor	Edward Wenschhof	NPS-National Park Service	Antietam National Battlefield
Federal Cooperator	Alison C. Dibble	Forest Service	NRS-Northern Research Station
Federal Fiscal Representative	Theresa McElwee	Forest Service	NRS-Northern Research Station

Project Locations

Consortium

Lake States

There are no project locations identified for this project.

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	311	Refereed Publication	Vulnerability of Forested Habitats to Invasion by Unwanted Vegetation
	2068	Refereed Publication	Does the Lack of Reference Ecosystems Limit Our Science? A Case Study in Nonnnative Invasive Plants as Forest Fuels
	310	Refereed Publication	Enhancing Oak Regeneration Habitat: Effects of Fire Upon Seedlings and Competing Vegetation in Maine
	309	Refereed Publication	Fuel Characteristics of Forests Invaded by Non-Native Plants in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S.
	9937	NonRefereed Publication	The Effect of Growing Season Treatments on Invasive Woody Plant Species
	573	MS Thesis	Characteristics of Fuel Beds Invaded by Smilax rotundifolia (Mike Ohman)
	279	Ph.D. Dissertation	Timing Treatments to the Phenology of Root Carbohydrate Reserves to Control Woody Invasive Plants (Julie Richburg)
	9936	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Forest Science in Practice
	313	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Natural Resource Network Using Fire to Control Invasive Plants: What’s New, What Works in the Northeast 2003 Workshop Proceedings

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents available for this project.

Convert PDF documents to an html document using Adobe's online conversion tool.