The Maryland/District of Columbia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy presents…

The Weed Watcher/Buster Program by Donnelle Keech Donnelle Keech Deborah Barber Deborah Barber Virginia McDaniel Virginia McDaniel Meredith Malone Meredith Malone

What are invasive, exotic plants? n Invasive plant - a plant whose growth habit has a detrimental effect on natural ecosystems n Invasive, exotic plant - lives outside its historic range AND has a detrimental effect on natural ecosystems

Invasive, exotic plant Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) originally from Asia Invasive, native plant Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana) originally from N. America Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Characteristics of invasive, exotic plants n Rapid growth and maturity n Prolific seed production n Highly successful seed dispersal, germination and colonization n Rampant vegetative growth » Ability to out-compete native species » High cost and effort to remove or control

What have we done to manage this problem?

The Goal of the Weed Watchers/Busters Program To locate and manage recently emerged infestations of invasive, exotic plants on high priority sites in Maryland and the District of Columbia with assistance from an extensive network of volunteers

How does it work? Weed Watchers Find the infestations and report them TNC staff Prioritize the infestations and determine management options Weed Busters Implement the plans that TNC develops

The Weed Watchers n The goal of the Weed Watchers is to locate and inform staff of new or unknown occurrences of invasive, exotic plants on TNC preserves in Maryland.

The Hit List n We determined the most threatening invasive, exotic species to Maryland/D.C. TNC sites and developed a short list on which to focus n The list helped us: Þ prioritize our management efforts and Þprevent volunteers from feeling overwhelmed by a large number of plants to identify

The Hit List n We determined which species to target by: Ù surveying invasive plant management professionals throughout Maryland and professionals throughout Maryland and Ù researching current literature n We settled on 13 invasive, exotic species...

The Hit List species are... n n Tree-of heaven n n Garlic Mustard n n Autumn Olive n n Japanese honeysuckle n n Bush honeysuckle n n Purple loosestrife n Japanese stiltgrass n Canary reedgrass n Common reed n Japanese knotweed n Mile-a-minute n Lesser celandine n Multiflora rose

22 volunteers were : n assigned high priority sites to monitor, n trained to identify the hit list species and report occurrences to TNC, n taught compass and topographical map reading skills, AND n accompanied to their site for an orientation visit. Volunteers- an essential resource

The “Lecture” Slide show/MS Power Point presentation n Reviewed the Weed Watcher Manual á practiced infestation reporting methods (i.e. visit and hit reports) á reviewed flagging and mapping techniques to document the exact location of infested area n Practiced plant identification using dried specimens n Practiced compass and topography reading

The “Lab” A trip to Rock Creek Park n Practiced plant identification and navigational skills Weed Watchers identify the Tree-of-heaven

The Test to ensure that all Weed Watchers were adequately trained

The following spring... The Weed Watcher reports came rolling in!

Prioritization of Infestations n Once we received Weed Watcher reports, we needed a method of management prioritization n We consulted The Nature Conservancy’s Wildland Invasive Species Team (WIST)

Our prioritization guidelines based on WIST’s Weed Management Plan template n What is the current extent of the species on or near the site? n What are the current and potential impacts of the species? n What is the value of the habitats/areas that the species infests or may infest? n How difficult is the infestation to control?

Different Goals Depending on your organization’s goals, the guidelines you follow when prioritizing the management of infestations may differ from ours.

The Weed Busters n The goal of the Weed Busters is to implement weed management/control plans on Weed Watcher/Buster sites. n Once infestations are: 1) found by the Weed Watchers, and 2) identified as high priority for management, the Weed Busters attack!

Who are the Weed Busters? n Anyone can be a Weed Buster! n Volunteers sign up for Weed Buster workdays advertised in our volunteer newsletter, The Oracle n “On-call” volunteers join an listserve and are notified of weed control workdays which are scheduled with little notice.

The results... … on the land we protect! We began to manage many infestations...

What have we accomplished? n During the summer of 2001, Weed Watchers and Weed Busters located AND began to control 19 different invasive, exotic species infestations on 5 TNC preserves in Maryland.

Interested in developing your own Weed Watcher/Buster Program?

Resources to consider n Access to volunteers and possibly interns n Time á to supervise volunteers and interns, á to review and prioritize Weed Watcher reports, & á to research the latest weed control methodologies n Herbicides and safety equipment, if permitted by your state n Funding

Information Sources: Multi-regional Websites n TNC’s Wildland Invasive Species Team n National Plants Database n Department of Agriculture n University of Montana’s INVADERS Database n Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

Information Sources: Mid-Atlantic Websites n Virginia Natural Heritage Program n Maryland Native Plants Society

Information Sources: Organizations n Maryland Invasive Species Council to learn more n Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council send blank to to join listserve n TNC’s Invasive Species Listserve Digest Barry Rice with name & state/country at

Herbicides n State restrictions Find out what your state’s restrictions are before preparing to apply n If your state’s laws do not prohibit herbicide use on the land you protect, see TNC’s “Guidelines for Herbicide Use” at:

Remember... Weed management requires ongoing reevaluations and adjustments. n Shifting priorities will alter management objectives. n Learn which control methods are most effective through trial and error. n New species may be added to your hit list.

Share your invasive plant management experiences, so we can learn from one another.

Questions anyone? Contact us at the Maryland/District of Columbia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy: 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 100 Bethesda, Maryland (301) or Deborah Barber at