Vegetation Response to Treating Willows (Salix Caroliniana)
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Vegetation Response to Treating Willows (Salix caroliniana) Invading Marshes at Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Wildlife and Environmental Area and National Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 2015-2016 Jean McCollom1, Kathleen Smith2, and Michael Duever1 1 Natural Ecosystems 2 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission November 2017 Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 4 List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Results and Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 25 Mechanical Treatment vs. Aerial Spraying of Herbicides .............................................. 25 Glyphosate Only vs. Glyphosate/Imazapyr Mixes and Recovery Over Time ........ 29 Glyphosate/Imazapyr Combination Mixing Rates ............................................................ 32 Comparison of Dry Season vs. Wet Season Treatments with Glyphosate/Imazapyr “light” Mix ................................................................................... 35 Imazamox Treatment ..................................................................................................................... 35 Follow-up vs. No Follow-up after Mechanical Treatments ........................................... 38 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 42 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................... 42 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 43 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................................46 Appendix A. Transect Monitoring Field Comments ................................................................. 47 Appendix B. Sample Summary Data ................................................................................................5 0 2 Appendix C. Treatment Comparison Graphs for All Transects: Aerial Treatments, Mechanical Treatments and Untreated Areas ........................ 52 Appendix D. Cover Data by Plant Species, Sampling Date, and Transect ....................... 61 List of Figures Figure 1. A conceptual fire transition model of major South Florida plant communities occurring on organic soils ...................................................................... 7 Figure 2. Central or Horseshoe Marsh seen from the vicinity of the current observation platform along the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in May 1955 ........................................................................................................ 8 Figure 3. Central or Horseshoe Marsh seen from about 25 feet up on the current observation platform along the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in March 2015 ................................................................................... 8 Figure 4. CSS North Marsh in December 1974 showing predominantly herbaceous marsh vegetation beyond the open water of the ditch along Washout Road at Seven Culverts ........................................................................ 9 Figure 5. CSS North Marsh in June 2006 taken from about 25 feet up on an observation platform overlooking the area shown in Figure 4 ................................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 6. CSS and CREW share a marsh system that extends from the Corkscrew Marsh on CREW property south through CSS and into CREW’s Bird Rookery Swamp in Collier and Lee Counties, Florida ............. 10 Figure 7. CREW’s Corkscrew Marsh willow treatment areas and sampling transects ...............................................................................................................11 Figure 8. CSS’s North Marsh willow treatment areas and sampling transects ..................................................................................................................................14 Figure 9. Rubber track skidsteer with a gyrotrack mulching head mulching willow at CSS ......................................................................................................16 3 Figure 10. Comparison of Aerial Herbicide Treatments, Mechanical Treatments, and Untreated Areas Mean Coverage Indices for Species and Species Groups ..........................................................................................2 5 Figure 11. Comparison of Glyphosate/Imazapyr Mixes to Glyphosate Only and Untreated Areas Mean Coverage Indices for Species and Species Groups .....................................................................................................................................30 Figure 12. Comparison of Three Glyphosate/Imazapyr Combination Mixing Rates and Untreated Areas Mean Coverage Indices for Species and Species Groups ...................................................................................................................3 3 Figure 13. Comparison of Dry Season and Wet Season Treatments with Glyphosate/Imazapyr “light” Mix Mean Coverage Indices for Species and Species Groups ...........................................................................................3 6 Figure 14. Comparison of Before Treatment and One Growing Season After Treatment with Imazamox Mean Coverage Indices for Species and Species Groups.....................................................................................................................3 9 Figure 15. Comparison of Follow-up Spot Herbicide Treatments after Mechanical Treatment with No Follow-up Spot Herbicide Treatments Mean Coverage Indices for willow and cattail ............................. 41 List of Tables Table 1. CREW’s Corkscrew Marsh Herbicide Treatment Summary ................................ 12 Table 2. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s Herbicide and Mechanical Treatment Summary .............................................................................................................15 Table 3. Information collected for each sample .........................................................................17 Table 4. Cover classes for herbaceous and woody vegetation percent cover recorded in 2016 for each transect as a whole ......................................................... 19 Table 5. Species considered woody for percent cover recorded in 2016 for each transect as a whole ................................................................................................20 4 Table 6. Tabulation of areas treated or untreated, sample years, and sample treatment types ......................................................................................................................20 Table 7. Designations for species found as recorded on the Atlas of Florida Plants ............................................................................................................................................22 Table 8. Plant Type designations for plant species sampled and which types were included as Herbaceous or Woody in whole transect percent cover estimates .....................................................................................................23 Table 9. Conversion factors for converting qualitative cover data to a quantitative Coverage Index .............................................................................................23 List of Appendices Appendix A. Transect Monitoring Field Comments ................................................................. 47 Appendix B. Sample Summary Data ................................................................................................5 0 Appendix C. Treatment Comparison Graphs for All Transects: Aerial Treatments, Mechanical Treatments, and Untreated Areas ....................... 52 Appendix D. Cover Data by Plant Species, Sampling Date, and Transect ....................... 61 5 Introduction Florida freshwater marshes are wetlands dominated by herbaceous vegetation in basins with predominantly organic soils (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 1990, 2010). These marshes are usually inundated around six to ten months a year. Fire maintains an open herbaceous community by restricting invasion by woody plants (Frost 1995). The normal interval between fires is one to ten years (Duever and Roberts 2013, FNAI 1990) with strictly herbaceous marshes burning about every one to three years (Florida