27384 - EFMO Exotic Plant Control

Garlic mustard (allure petiolata), buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), European honeysuckle (Lonicera tatartica), sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) will be targeted in a comprehensive plant control and reduction effort.

Treatment types will be based on effectiveness and minimization of impact to resources. Core visitor areas are maintained through hand pulling shallow rooted garlic mustard to remove all traces of an infestation. Plants are never dug through mechanical means or otherwise. The hand pulled plant material is bagged to prevent seed dispersal. The plant material is left in the bags and allowed to biodegrade through the sun's heat. This labor intensive treatment is the most effective technique in areas of low concentration and provides opportunities for interpretation of exotic plant control to visitors. Non-core areas where plants have flowered and gone to seed are treated with a backpack torch that does not require carrying out bagged plants.

Total monument area impacted by exotic plants is 220 acres. EFMO GPRA goal IA1a calls for the treatment of canopy 20 acres. This is spread out over the monument area in a mosaic pattern. For 2009, 90 acres were treated for all species.

All herbicides and treatments have been submitted and approved through Pesticide Use Permitting System (PUPS). All chemical treatments are logged for type, amount and location and the area mapped with GPS and GIS. See attached map for last year's treatments. In addition, all regulatory requirements for an Iowa state Commercial Pesticide license are adhered to by all applicators.

A project request for a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) was submitted in 1998 and currently awaits funding. This request will be updated and resubmitted with an additional request for a cultural landscape treatment plan. Until such time as the CLR is complete, the monument is adhering to the management objects stated in the current GMP.

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