2014 Tongass National Forest Monitoring and Evaluation Report
7. Invasive Species: Status
Goal: Reduce the potential for introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive species and reduce existing infestations. Objective: Monitor populations of high priority invasive species in cooperation with other agencies. Monitor implementation and effectiveness of specific actions related to control and prevention of invasive species infestations. Background: For policy pertaining to invasive plant management, see FSM 2900 (Invasive Species Management Policy), 2070 (Native Plant Material Policy) and FSM 2150 (Pesticide Use Management and Coordination Policy). The primary forest-wide plan is contained in the 2005 Tongass National Forest Invasive Plant Management Plan. Tiered to this plan are individual district and wilderness area invasive plant plans.
Invasive Species Question: What are the status and trends of areas infested by aquatic and terrestrial invasive species relative to the desired condition?
Evaluation Criteria The Tongass has several known infestations of non-native and potentially invasive terrestrial and aquatic animal species. These species include the red legged frog (Rana aurora), pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is responsible for inventory and monitoring of Atlantic salmon. There are several other species receiving attention throughout the state, including European green crab (Carcinus maenas), didemnum tunicate (Didemnum vexillum), didymo or ‘rock snot’(Didymosphenia geminata), black slug (Arion ater), Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and introduced (non-naturally occurring) northern pike (Esox lucius). These species are generally being managed by other agencies including the ADF&G and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis) is a highly invasive aquatic plant that has been found in the interior of Alaska and is spreading, but it has not yet been found in southeast Alaska. In 2013, we began implementation of a protocol to monitor sites with a high risk of impacts due to existing or future infestations of invasive plants. Several high-risk sites were identified across the Tongass and were surveyed during the growing season. These sites are identified by ranger district invasive plant management plans (or an equivalent process) as having the highest risk of impacts due to new infestations and/or spread of existing infestations of invasive plants. The location and areal extent of invasive plant infestations was recorded at each site. These sites will be revisited at least once within the 5-year monitoring cycle to assess changes in the number and area of infestations. A new set of sites was visited in 2014, and these sites will also be revisited in 3 to 5 years. The monitoring results will help inform managers about the status and trends of these sites.
Monitoring Results In 2014, no monitoring for invasive animal species was conducted on the Tongass. No occurrences of Atlantic salmon were detected in the waters of the Tongass by ADF&G or the Forest Service. According to ADF&G, European green crab have not yet been detected in southeast Alaska waters, but monitoring efforts in 2014 were limited to areas around the cities of Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau. ADF&G reports that invasive marine tunicates have been detected in marine harbors in Ketchikan and Sitka. Seven high-risk invasive plant sites were visited across the Forest in 2014, with infestations covering a total of 2.72 acres (Table 1). High-priority invasive plant species recorded include brittlestem hempnettle (Galeopsis tetrahit), field mustard (Brassica rapa), oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), white clover (Melilotus alba), black bindweed (Polygonum
Invasive Species - Status 1 2014 Tongass National Forest Monitoring and Evaluation Report
convolvulus), orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum), and field sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis). All seven sites had one or more infestations of invasive plant species that are a high priority for control on the Tongass National Forest. Invasive Species Table 1. Monitoring results (FY2014) for sites with high risk of impacts from invasive plant infestations Infested Area Ranger District Site Name Species (acres) brittlestem hempnettle Last Chance Harbor 1.02 Admiralty National 0.05 black bindweed Monument Swan Island 0.40 field mustard oxeye daisy Dog Salmon Fishpass < 0.01 reed canarygrass Craig Ranger 0.33 white clover District Harris River Young Growth Study 0.18
and Trail < 0.01 oxeye daisy Juneau Ranger Barlow Cove field sowthistle 0.14 District
Memorial Beach Parking Area orange hawkweed 0.10 oxeye daisy Thorne Bay 0.22
Ranger District 0.01 Winter Harbor Boat Launch and oxeye daisy 0.27 Parking reed canarygrass
Evaluation of Results The high-risk sites visited in 2014 will be revisited at least once during the five-year monitoring cycle, and the new data collected will be compared to the initial monitoring data to determine if infestations have spread or have been reduced or eliminated, or if new infestations have become established.
Action Plan In 2015, depending on available resources, a new set of sites with high risk of impacts from invasive plants will be selected using the same criteria as for the previous sets of sites. These sites will be visited, and existing infestations will be recorded at each site. These sites will be revisited at least once during their five-year monitoring cycle, and any new infestations and changes to existing infestations will be recorded. The results will be used to help evaluate the effectiveness of our management activities in preventing new infestations and controlling existing infestations of high-priority invasive plants.
2 Invasive Species - Status