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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.
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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
Why is monitoring exotic invasive vegetation important to TLC? • Indicator of conservation success • Invasion of natural ecosystems • Competition with native vegetation
Objectives • 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.
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 ROMU • 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 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