LeeAnna Young

Leanne Penry

Liz Montgomery

Johnathan Sutton

John Atkinson

Exotic Invasive Vegetation

Why is monitoring exotic invasive vegetation important?

Consumes resources:

•Light•Water•Nutrients•Growing space

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2008

• Indicator of conservation success

• Invasion of natural ecosystems

• Competition with native vegetation

Why is monitoring exotic invasive vegetation important to TLC?

• To create a method for measuring the extent of exotic invasive vegetation.

• To make this method user-friendly and repeatable for volunteers of the Triangle Land Conservancy.

• Demonstrate how our method can be used in several test areas, including riparian areas in NCSU main campus, Centennial Campus, and Schenck Forest.

Objectives

Display Condition of Single Site

Compare Among Sites

Our Method is Repeatable

Simple Materials

• Rope with pre-measured lengths (2m, 5m) and stake attached• Clipboard with data sheet, percent cover card, and plot layout• Diameter tape (record units on data sheet) • Metric tape measure (100m)

Recommendations

• Data collected can be evaluated over time to determine increases or decreases in exotic invasive vegetation per site

• Exotic invasive species identification training session for volunteers

• Survey when species are most visible

Common: Multiflora roseScientific: Rosa multiflora

• Alternate leaf arrangements (one leaf with 5 leaflets in picture)

• 5-11 leaflets per leaf• Leaf edges serrated• White flowers with 5 petals

bloom in early summer• Thorn-like prickles on stems• Long arching stems, can be

vine-like

ROMU

The University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. (2009). Invasive.org: Invasive and Exotic Species to North America. Retrieved Apr., 2009, from http://www.invasive.org/

Conclusion

• Method is repeatable and user-friendly• Method can be adjusted to accommodate

different cover types• Comparing data over time will alert TLC

to exotic invasive vegetation problems• Early detection allows for intervention