Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
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Invasive Species – The shrub layer in the woodlands is dominated by invasive<br />
species such as Japanese knotweed, buckthorn, honeysuckle, and tree-<strong>of</strong>heaven.<br />
The herbaceous ground layer vegetation is also comprised <strong>of</strong> mostly<br />
weedy species such as Phragmites, stinging nettle and garlic mustard. Dense<br />
pockets <strong>of</strong> invasive species can shade out tree saplings and out compete young<br />
trees for resources. Recent research at SUNY-Fredonia (Martin and Titus 2008)<br />
found that morality <strong>of</strong> planted sugar maple saplings was higher in plots with<br />
dense Japanese knotweed compared to plots where knotweed was removed or<br />
absent. Martin and Titus also report that plant species richness was lower in<br />
plots with Japanese knotweed than plots without knotweed, and that garlic<br />
mustard suppresses arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which hinders a plant’s ability<br />
to grow. Without a significant reduction in invasive species in the woodlands <strong>of</strong><br />
the preserve, increased tree regeneration is unlikely (see <strong>Management</strong><br />
Challenges for more on invasive species).<br />
Supressed Succession – Succession is the natural change <strong>of</strong> an ecological<br />
community through time. In forest ecosystems following a disturbance (fire,<br />
flood, human land clearing), a community is colonized by early successional<br />
species that grow well in disturbed areas and full sunlight (e.g. cottonwood,<br />
aspen). Over time (years to decades) the forest will become dominated by late<br />
successional species (e.g. maple, beech) that require more stable conditions and<br />
can reproduce in the shady understory <strong>of</strong> the forest. At <strong>Tifft</strong> <strong>Nature</strong> <strong>Preserve</strong>, the<br />
cottonwoods colonized the site following the major human disturbance <strong>of</strong> the<br />
area, but the more shade tolerant tree species are not present on the preserve.<br />
Dr. Howard S. Irwin noted that woodland succession will be relatively slow or<br />
arrested due to the dramatically altered soil conditions and the isolation <strong>of</strong> the<br />
preserve from other woodlands to provide a seed source (Klips et al 1993).<br />
Saplings and young trees <strong>of</strong> shade tolerant species such as red maple will need<br />
to be planted at the preserve since natural colonization is unlikely.<br />
Given the above constraints, improving tree regeneration will be a challenging<br />
prospect with no guarantee <strong>of</strong> success, but due to the importance <strong>of</strong> the woodlands at<br />
the preserve, attempts should be made.<br />
In addition and concomitant with improving tree regeneration, native woodland<br />
understory vegetation and shrubs could be planted. Herbaceous species such as wild<br />
geranium, trillium, meadow rue and wild leek, as well as ferns, grasses and sedges<br />
would all be suitable and attractive additions. Native woody shrubs include several<br />
types <strong>of</strong> dogwoods and viburnums, among others. Similar to tree saplings, woodland<br />
flowers and shrubs would also require protection from deer and control <strong>of</strong> invasive<br />
species. With the large amount <strong>of</strong> fill material and shallow soil pr<strong>of</strong>ile, there are some<br />
species <strong>of</strong> trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants that might not grow on the preserve,<br />
despite efforts to establish them. A wide variety <strong>of</strong> native species will need to be<br />
planted to see which grow the best and results should be closely monitored. Tree<br />
species that are adapted to wet soils such as red maple, silver maple, swamp white<br />
oak, pin oak and green ash, as well as more cottonwood and black willow, are all<br />
<strong>Tifft</strong> <strong>Nature</strong> <strong>Preserve</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> 47