Fuel Treatments Alter Native Plant Composition and Increase Non-Native Plant Cover

Submitted by Suzanne Owen, Research Associate, RMRS/NAU, Flagstaff, AZ, 928-556-2193, [email protected] or [email protected] Slash-pile burning and mechanical mastication are commonly prescribed fuel treatments for wildfire mitigation. Re- searchers from Flagstaff, AZ, and Spain recently published an article in Forest Ecology and Management that compared effects of the treatments on understory plant composition in Colorado pinyon-ju- niper woodlands (Owen and others 2009). Results showed that slash-pile burns had a different plant community composition compared to untreated areas. Pile burns were dominated by exotic plant species Figure 5b—Widespread mortality of rose apple caused by guava rust in Hawaii. Photo by and had approximately six times less un- Forest Starr and Kim Starr; http://hear.org. derstory plant abundance and richness than untreated areas. Pile burns mainly New Pest Alert: The Green resembles a saw blade and is used by fe- consisted of exposed mineral soil, even 3.5 years post-treatment, and were sur- Alder Sawfly males to “saw” into plants in order to lay eggs. If you see this insect, please contact rounded by a ring of non-native musk thistle (Carduus nutans). No differences Submitted by Justin Runyon, Research your State or Federal forest health spe- Entomologist, Bozeman, MT, 406-994- cialist. For more information see: http:// in plant cover or composition were ob- 4872, [email protected] www.fs.fed.us/r10/spf/fhp/pubs/Monso- served between mastication-treated areas maPestAlert.pdf. and untreated areas 6 months after treat- A new invasive insect, the green alder ment. Mastication areas 3.5 years after sawfly (Monsoma pulveratum), was posi- treatment had more plant cover and rich- tively identified for the first time in the ness than untreated areas or pile burns, United States from collections made in Alaska in 2009. Subsequently, the sawfly was found in Washington State along the Columbia River. The green alder sawfly is native to Eurasia and North Africa, where it feeds on European black alder. When discovered in Alaska, the saw- flies were defoliating thin-leaf alder. Adults emerge early in the spring (they are active by early April in Washington State and mid-May in Alaska) and lay Figure 6a—Green alder sawfly (Monsoma eggs into newly expanding alder leaves. pulveratum) larva. The green larvae emerge within two weeks and begin feeding; larvae are ca- pable of completely defoliating thin-leaf alder. The potential impact and spread of this sawfly is not known, but it poses a potential threat to riparian areas through- out the western United States. Sawflies are related to bees and wasps (Hymenoptera), but they can be distin- guished by the broad connection between the thorax and abdomen and the cater- pillar-like larvae. The common name, Figure 6b—Green alder sawfly adult. Photos Figure 7—Carduus nutans (musk thistle) is sawfly, is derived from the ovipositor that courtesy of Ken Zogas, USDA Forest found growing along the perimeter of slash Service, Region 10. pile burns. 5 Figure 8a—Field trip to Science Notes cont. Chilbadlo Island. From left: Dr. Hee-Young Chae, although non-native cheatgrass (Bromus Director of the Korean tectorum) cover was also greater. National Park Research Institute; Dr. Jong Min Mastication is the preferred short-term Kim, Senior Researcher method because it causes fewer distur- at the Korean National bances to understory plant communities Institute of Environmental than pile burning; however, long-term im- Research; Dr. Chung Il Choi, Vice-Chair, pacts of mastication warrant further study UNESCO Man and the as this practice could increase the cover of Biosphere Programme; cheatgrass, an especially problematic exot- and Dean Pearson, ic species. Results suggest that the manner Research Ecologist, RMRS. in which woody debris is treated following tree thinning has an important influence on native plant biodiversity.

New Publications Highlight Figure 8b—Korean scientists assess Swinhoe’s storm-petrels Invasive Weed Research killed by the invasive Japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes Submitted by Dean Pearson, Research japonica) on Chilbaldo Island. Ecologist, Missoula, MT, 406-542-4159, [email protected] Invasive Weeds Trap New papers by Pearson, Ortega, and other team members include information and Kill Birds on on the ecology and management of inva- Islands in South Korea sive weeds, the effects of persistence and retreatment intervals on residual herbicide Submitted by Dean Pearson, Research impact, the politics of funding biocontrol Ecologist, Missoula, MT, 406-542-4159, Combining Soil Disturbance [email protected] research, and the effects of invasive weeds Monitoring with Invasive Species on native predator-prey communities. Although native to East Asia, Japan, and Monitoring • Pearson and Ortega (2009) describe the some large islands around Japan, Japanese issues of weed ecology and manage- chaff flower is invasive on several seabird Submitted by Deb Page-Dumroese, Re- ment based on their extensive study of islands off the coast of Korea. The plant search Soil Scientist, Moscow, ID, 208- 883-2339, [email protected] the spotted knapweed invasion in west- kills petrels by ensnaring them within en- ern Montana. tangling seedheads. Adults are trapped With revision of the Forest Soil when they return to their burrows to feed • Pearson (2009a) describes issues re- Disturbance Monitoring Protocol (Page- their young, which soon parish for lack of lated to the ecology and management of Dumroese and others 2009a and 2009b), parental care. The plants also appear to re- biological invasions on oceanic islands. the presence of invasive species can now duce habitat for burrows. • Crone and others (2009) quantify side be more efficiently recorded during field Research Ecologist Dean Pearson, Mis- surveys. At the request of the National effects of a broadleaf herbicide treat- soula, recently gave the keynote address to ment for spotted knapweed on native the 3rd International Symposium on Mi- arrowleaf balsamroot demography. gratory Birds in Mokpo, South Korea. In • Maron and others (2010) describe how his presentation titled Seabirds in Danger: funding affects research on biocontrol Invasive Species and Conservation of Is- of weeds. land Ecosystems, he described the unique • Pearson (2009b) examines the subtle attributes of island ecosystems that influ- but extensive and complex effects of ence invasiveness and invasive species invasive weeds on higher trophic levels management. The symposium speakers of native species by simply changing from the United States, Russia, Spain, vegetation architecture. New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and South Korea toured the island biosphere reserve of Shinan County. They also consulted with South Korean scientists and the Korea National Park Service employees who are establishing invasive species management programs to protect diverse and fragile is- land ecosystems. Figure 9—A researcher prepares to collect soil monitoring data. 6