Tools & Techniques for Natural Areas

Management

Tony St. Aubin

Unit Manager, Restoration Management Division
JFNew
 Why is Management an Important Issue?

• Increasing rate of exotic species spread

• Loss of biodiversity – plants and wildlife

• Economic costs (agriculture, forestry, natural areas)

-Estimated $120 billion annually in United States
-“Protecting your investment”
-Illinois has spent approximately $90 million to eradicate Asian long-
horned beetle and $10 million to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan

• Competition with native plant communities

• Interfering with natural succession

Common Invasive Plants Found in
Natural Areas
• Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)
• Common reed (Phragmites australis)
• Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
• White/yellow sweet clover (Melilotus spp.)
• Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida or artemesifolia)
• Cattails (Typha spp.)
 New Invaders Watch List

• Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

• Japanese Hops (Humulus japonicus)
• Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)
• Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
• Cinnamon Vine (Dioscorea oppositifolia)
• Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Silky Bush Clover (Sericea cunneata)
• Japanese Stilt Grass (Microstegium vimineum)

http://ctap.inhs.uiuc.edu/newinvaders/home.aspx
 Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

INFORMATION
• Deciduous, climbing, woody vine
can grow up to 60 ft.
• Readily spread by birds and has
abundant crops of fruit
• Strangles shrubs and small trees
• Weakens mature trees by girdling
the trunk and weighting the crown

MANAGEMENT
• Cut vines as close to the root collar as possible. This technique is feasible on
small populations; as a pretreatment on large impenetrable sites; in areas
where herbicide cannot be used
• Stump treat using systemic herbicide such as glyphosate or triclopyr
• Foliar application using triclopyr
 Japanese Hops (Humulus japonicus)

INFORMATION
• Seedbank typically exhausted in
approximately three years
• Found in disturbed areas,
woodlands, and ROW,
particularly when the soil is moist

MANAGEMENT
• Foliar application using glyphosate
• Best time to apply herbicide is when the rootstock is most rapidly accumulating
carbohydrates, typically August-September
 Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)

INFORMATION
• Herbaceous perennial, grows in
dense clumps
• Reproduces by rhizomes and
seed
• Found along streams and creeks
• Tolerant of high salinity, drought,
and floods

MANAGEMENT
• Manual control promotes disturbance and is not recommended
• Mow/ cut in late spring or early summer followed by foliar application of glyphosate
in August has been found to be very effective
 Methods of Control: “Tools in the Toolbox”
Chemical Methods
Spot Spraying
Hand Wicking
Boom/Aerial Spraying
Mechanical Methods
Cutting/Mowing
Hand Pulling
Burning
Biological Methods
Natural competition
Introduced competitors
Hydrological Methods
Water level alteration

Techniques are usually selected based on effectiveness, available resources, proximity of

desirable vegetation, plant growth form, site accessibility, hydrology, or other factors.

Adaptive management, is a practice that utilizes multiple techniques, and often produce
the best results.
 Chemical Methods
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to
wage war by land, sea, and air. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. Victory,
however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.”
- Winston Churchill
 CHEMICAL SELECTION
• What weeds need to be controlled?
a. Monocot vs. Dicot
b. Herbaceous vs. Woody
c. Physiology (i.e. rhizomes)
• Is more than one herbicide needed for weed control?
a. Compatibility
• Type of application?
a. Broadcast, spot, cut stump, basal bark
b. Pre vs. Post-emergence
• Does the herbicide of choice have application restrictions?
a. Water restrictions
b. Soil Type
c. Re-entry time
d. Vaporization
ISSUES THAT IMPACT CHEMICAL EFFECTIVENESS
• Water chemistry (pH)
• Ambient temperatures
• Relative humidity
• Seasonal
• Plant pathology

ISSUES TO CONSIDER
• More does not equal better!!!
• Pesticides are tools for control; use those tools wisely
• Pay attention to rates especially for the species being treated
• Selective vs. broad spectrum
 CHEMICAL SELECTION
CHEMICAL TRADE NAMES PROS CONS
Glyphosate Glypro, Aquaneat, Rodeo • Broad-spectrum • Collateral damage
• Rapid results
• Low Toxicity
Triclopyr Garlon, Tahoe, Element • Broadleaf specific • Tank compatibility
• Wetland option
• Effectiveness
Clopyralid Transline • Broadleaf specific • Limited Use
• Effectiveness • Cost
• Rapid results
Sethoxydim Poast • Grass-specific • Restrictions
• Selectivity

Imazapic Plateau, Journey • Pre-emergent • Limited Uses

• Selectivity • Restrictions
• Rapid establishment
 Picture 8/21/07

Weber Prairie Park (8.71ac)

5/7/07: Journey application (10.7 oz/ acre)
5/31/07: Seeded w/ Plateau tolerant seed mix
Botanical Name Common Name Botanical Name Common Name
Amorpha canescens Lead plant Elymus virginicus Virginia wild rye
Andropogon gerardii Big bluestem Liatris aspera Rough blazing star

Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed Liatris spicata Marsh Blazing Star

Aster novae-angliae New England aster Lupinus perennis Wild lupine

occidentalis
Baptisia lactea White wild indigo Ratibida pinnata Yellow coneflower

Bouteloua curtipendula Side-oats gramma Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan

Chamaecrista fasciculata Partridge pea Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem

Coreopsis lanceolata Sand coreopsis Solidago juncea Early goldenrod
Dalea purpurea Purple prairie clover Solidago rigida Stiff goldenrod

Desmanthus illinoensis Illinois sensitive plant Solidago speciosa Showy goldenrod

Desmodium canadense Showy Tick Trefoil Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass

Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower Stipa spartea Porcupine grass

Elymus canadensis Canada wild rye Vernonia fasciculata Common Ironweed
 Picture8/21/07
Picture 8/21/07

Rows of Native Grasses

 Picture 8/21/07

Forbs Coming In
 Picture 8/21/07

Native Grass Producing Seed First

Year
 Picture 8/21/07

Side Oats Grama

 Picture 8/21/07

Control Plot – Full of

Foxtail
Picture 8/21/07

One application of
Journey reduced
weed competition to
allow robust growth
of native grasses and
forbs within the first
growing season.
 Mechanical Methods
Cutting/Mowing
• Tractor mounted mower
• Brush saw
• Hand pulling

• Height is dependent on the

species and goals.
• Cutting for control should be
done before or at flowering for
annuals and biennials.
 Prescribed Fire

• Used as a management tool to

control and/or promote certain
species.
• Effective in many types of areas
from woodlands to prairies.
• Used to promote plant growth in
dense stands by reducing thatch
and increasing sunlight penetration.
• Burning works best in an IVM
situation—it clears thatch to make
herbicide treatments more effective
and encourages seedbank
regeneration.
Controlled Burning With an
Urban Interface
 Side Design: Mitigating the Risk of Wildfire

• Mitigation and Contingency Planning

• Fuel Matrix/Models
• Grass v. Forbs
• Maximum ROS: 300’ chains/min
• FL: 8’
• Establish Fuel Breaks, Access Routes
• Wildfire Hazard Reduction

Firebreak
 Hydrological Methods

• Flooding/water level
manipulation (water control
structures)
• Drain tile removal
• Stream remeander
• Dam creation/removal
• Repair of groundwater
recharge mechanisms
Contact Info

Tony St. Aubin

JFNew
708.534.3450
www.jfnew.com
astaubin@jfnew.com

Questions?