Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science

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Pulling – Small plants and seedlings can be hand pulled, but this can be a very laborious job. Shrubs and small trees can be pulled using a weed wrench, but this is a heavy piece of equipment to carry around and can be challenging to use. Pulling can be used as a follow-up treatment after cutting or herbicide application, but it will not be possible to effectively control woody invasive species on the preserve with this technique alone. Cutting – Shrubs and trees can be cut down with a chainsaw or brush cutter (weed whip with a metal cutting blade). It is best to cut shrubs and trees as close to the ground as possible to minimize the above ground stump. It should be noted that all of these species will resprout and cutting is not a one time control technique. Cutting these species without then applying herbicide can actually make the job of control more challenging since there will be many small resprouts to treat. Herbicide Application – There are several ways that herbicide can be applied to woody species and these include: foliar, basal bark, frill and cut-stump applications. Foliar applications are only recommended for treating small plants and resprouts close to the ground were damage to non-target vegetation could be minimized. Basal bark and frill applications do not require cutting down the shrub or tree. During a basal bark application, herbicide is applied to the bark around the entire circumference of the stump creating a collar about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide at the base of the tree. The herbicide will soak through the bark and kill the plant in weeks to months. The frill technique is an application of herbicide into a girdle cut with a hatchet or chainsaw around the trunk. One of the most effective techniques that has the added benefit of immediately removing the invasive species is the cut-stump application. With this technique, herbicide is applied to the stump of a shrub or tree soon after cut, making a point to cover the entire outer ring of the stump where the plant’s vascular tissue is located. This technique works best with at least two people, one to cut and one to apply the herbicide, and is very labor intensive since the cut shrubs and trees will need to be removed or piled. Common herbicides used for woody invasive species are glyphosate (e.g. Roundup, Accord) and triclopyr (e.g. Garlon 4). Different adjuvants (e.g. wetting agents, dyes) may need to be added to the herbicide depending on the application technique. Always read the product label to make sure the chemical is registered for treating a particular species. All individuals mixing, applying or handling herbicides need to be Certified Pesticide Applicators by the NYS DEC. Biological Control - There are currently no USDA approved biological control agents for any of these woody invasive species, but research is under way on Buckthorn (Skinner 2005). However, widespread release of a control agent is probably years away. Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan 27
Herbaceous Species There are many non-native herbaceous plant species that grow at Tifft Nature Preserve. At the end of an extensive plant survey on the preserve in the 1980’s, 43% of the plant species were non-native, mostly from Europe and Asia (Klips et al 1993). In many areas of the preserve, the invasive herbaceous species dominate the ground layer of vegetation. These species include: stinging nettle (Urtica diocia), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), burdock (Arctium minus), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and swallowwort (Cynanchum spp.), among many others. Many of these non-native species are uncommon and not invasive, but species such as Canada thistle and swallowwort are very aggressive, and stinging nettle and any thistle species limit access to areas for education or recreation. Although these species may not have the same chemical effects on tree seedlings as garlic mustard, dense stands of non-native herbaceous plants shade out young trees and native vegetation. In combination with controlling Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, and woody invasive species, an effort to reduce the abundance of herbaceous invasive species should be made to improve tree regeneration, wildlife habitat, and the esthetics of the preserve. Many of the techniques used to control other invasive species such as hand pulling, herbicide application, and a weed torch can be used on most herbaceous invasive species. Due to the extent of herbaceous invasive species at Tifft Nature Preserve, hand pulling alone is unlikely to control these species and the use of herbicides will be needed. Always read the product label on herbicides to make sure the chemical is approved for use on a particular species and use care when applying nonspecific herbicides such as glyphosate (e.g. Roundup) or 2,4-D. All individuals mixing, applying or handling herbicides need to be Certified Pesticide Applicators by the NYS DEC. Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Purple loosestrife is a perennial European plant with large attractive spikes of pink or purple flowers that aggressively invades wetlands in North America. Once established in marshes, wet meadows and along the shores of lakes and rivers, the plant forms dense stands that choke out native vegetation and degrade fish and wildlife habitat. Purple loosestrife is estimated to affect almost half a million acres (200,000 hectares) of wetlands a year creating millions of dollars in economic impact. At Tifft Nature Preserve, purple loosestrife is present but uncommon in the cattail marsh. It was more abundant in the past, but the introduction of Galerucella beetles (G. calmariensis, G. pusilla [Chrysomelidae]) as biological control agents effectively controlled the invader and reduced its abundance. The Galerucella beetles feed on the leaves of the plant, particularly the developing leaf buds, which can damage and kill the plant (Wilson et al 2004). The beetles were released at the preserve a few years ago and purple loosestrife is now uncommon in the cattail marsh. Even though the beetles have effectively controlled the plant, the marsh should be monitored for reinvasion and the need for additional releases of biological control agents. Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan 28
Page 1 and 2: Tifft Nature Preserve Management Pl
Page 3 and 4: [blank] Tifft Nature Preserve Manag
Page 5 and 6: esearch on a diversity of scientifi
Page 9 and 10: Abiotic Environment Climate & Weath
Page 11 and 12: ecords of the burrowing or devil cr
Page 13 and 14: access and the soil disturbance fro
Page 15 and 16: potentially contaminated water (i.e
Page 17 and 18: Route 5 culvert that would allow wa
Page 19 and 20: on the north and east to Tifft Stre
Page 23 and 24: (Saltonstall 2002, Lambert and Casa
Page 25 and 26: fall and then re-grow anew each spr
Page 27: Weed Torch - Recently weed torches
Page 31 and 32: Table 1 - Deer Densities in the Nor
Page 33 and 34: equire the alteration or removal of
Page 35 and 36: produce more accurate estimates of
Page 37 and 38: Another option for individual trees
Page 39 and 40: culvert and protective fencing inst
Page 41 and 42: Goose Repellents - The US EPA and N
Page 43 and 44: Grid property and grants use and po
Page 47 and 48: preserve. Ospreys prefer secluded a
Page 49 and 50: species that should be tried. This
Page 51 and 52: and competing vegetation must be co
Page 53 and 54: Vernal Pond Creation A vernal pond
Page 55 and 56: could be tailored to include many w
Page 57 and 58: Guidelines Ecological research is a
Page 59 and 60: Proposal Process A brief research p
Page 63 and 64: Project WET - Project WET (Water Ed
Page 67 and 68: the Service Road running along the
Page 69 and 70: These rules are clearly posted on s
Page 71 and 72: In an urban environment, maintainin
Page 75 and 76: Preserve Management 1) Invasive Spe
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[blank] Tifft Nature Preserve Manag
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Staffing Levels The Master Plan (Ec
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Friends of Tifft Nature Preserve, I
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Conover, M. R. and G. G. Chasko. 19
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McDonald, J. E., D. E. Clark, W. A.
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Smith, M. S. 2005. Manual control o
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