Appendix 1-3-3 Snail Enclosure Revegetation Summaries YER 2014 Appendix 1-3-3. Snail Enclosure Re-vegetation Summaries 1.1 Palikea Snail Enclosure This year restoration activities inside the Palikea snail enclosure included aggressive grass control, minimal understory weed control, strategic Schinus terebinthifolius overstory removal, and outplanting of native snail host trees. As there were ample outplants this year, plantings were conducted throughout the enclosure, focusing on connecting existing native patches, filling in open areas, and establishing an understory of native canopy species ahead of non-native canopy removal. Weed Control Summary: Paspalum conjugatum control accounted for the greatest weeding effort inside the enclosure this year. This removal was done by hand clearing the grass while searching for Euglandina rosea in the understory. Other understory weeds, including Rubus rosifolius, Passiflora suberosa, Phytolacca octandra, and Clidemia hirta, were controlled during these searches as well. Anecdotally, it appears that native cover is filling in previously open areas, and both the abundance of understory weeds and time spent weeding have substantially declined since the construction of the enclosure. Blechnum appendiculatum (fern) growing near the Laminella sanguinea area has thickened and expanded in some areas. Control of this species must be conducted carefully and thoughtfully as L. sanguinea forage through leaf litter on the ground. This weed, however, remains a high priority target as it forms a dense mat in the understory and is only established locally inside the enclosure. A zero tolerance for Ehrharta stipoides will remain in the enclosure. Patches of this grass continually recruit inside. Non-native canopy removal was focused on thinning a stand of S. terebinthifolius trees below the largest density of L. sanguinea. Cover directly over the L. sanguinea area was maintained, but the majority of cover over areas without snails was removed. Outplants were planted on the same day as this removal, and within six months, many of the outplants in this area had more than doubled in height. Native understory has also filled in the light gap created by the S. terebinthifolius removal. At this point, no more aggressive overstory weed control is planned. This will be re-considered when the hundreds of outplants in the enclosure begin to reach canopy levels. The 1 m buffer outside of the enclosure is maintained as bare ground to prevent weeds from growing into or above the first barriers. This area is sprayed regularly with a glyphosate product and a pre-emergent herbicide when needed. Re-vegetation Summary: This year, a total of 212 plants were planted (Table 1). Outplantings were conducted in November 2013, and in January and March 2014. At this point, open spaces appear sufficiently planted, and no more plantings are planned for next year. The exception to this may be Freycenetia arborea, a woody climber that is an important snail host, and Cheirondendron trigynum, a significant canopy component in Palikea, both of which have been slow to grow. 1 Appendix 1-3-3 Snail Enclosure Revegetation Summaries YER 2014 Vegetation monitoring will be conducted in 2017 (five years since construction), to assess the need for additional outplantings in order to reach canopy cover goals of establishing over 80% native cover by the 10th year of existence. Monitoring protocols will be developed before 2017 to address vegetation monitoring objectives and identify triggers for management response. All species of outplants were most recently monitored in September 2014. Overall survival for all outplants (including Year 1) is 81% and is summarized in the table below. Table 1. Outplanting Summary: Species # # Total Survival Comments Planted Goal for Planted remaining Year 1 Year 2 Year 2 September 2014 Many individuals of this species looking Antidesma poor throughout Palikea MU. Hopeful that 20 50 52 67 93% platyphyllum outplant survivorship remains high and that these plants establish inside the enclosure. Coprosma Outplants of this species established and 6 50 40 44 96% longifolia grew quickly; good restoration species. Conducted fruit collection across MU this Cheirodendron 0 0 0 N/A N/A year. Propagation will begin this year. trigynum Unclear when plants will be ready to plant. Seedlings in growth chamber and less than a Freycenetia dozen in small communal pots in the 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A arborea greenhouse. May not be ready for outplanting for another year. These plants are easy to collect from, store, Kadua affinis 26 50 66 82 89% and propagate fairly well; good restoration species. Easy to collect cuttings for this species, but Metrosideros 6 15 10 13 81% has inconsistent propagation results. Need to polymorpha refine appropriate collection material. While generally known as an important snail host species, only a handful of known trees Myrsine from inside the Palikea fence, and none seen 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A lessertiana flowering/fruiting. Should look outside MU if want to work with this species in the future. The first planting of this species fared poorly Perrottetia 47 25 27 41 55% as may have been planted too young. sandwicensis Consequent plantings had sporadic death. Survival not as good as expected; however most of these plants were planted on open Pipturis albidis 50 0 0 31 62% slopes in areas formerly dominated by Psidium cattleianum. Seed sow may be best way to establish this plant in an area. Urera glabra 28 25 17 41 91% High survivorship of this species. 2 Appendix 1-3-3 Snail Enclosure Revegetation Summaries YER 2014 In addition to out-plants, recruitment of native species was also observed within the enclosure; some passive, and some assisted by seed sows. Natural recruitment has been observed most abundantly for Kadua affinis inside the enclosure where seedling beds have formed under mature plants. The lack of rats inside the enclosure is credited as the main reason for this success. A species of Dryopteris glabra fern also recruited along the southern enclosure wall. Carex wahuensis recruited in open areas where broadcast sows were conducted. Coprosma longifolia germinated at almost all of 12 ‘plots’ where 20 fruit were broadcast over a 1ft square area. Nearly a year later, over half of the plots maintain at least one individual. Pisonia umbellifera are also germinating from seed sows throughout the enclosure, and will serve as a host tree for Achatinella concavospira moved into the enclosure from Pualii this year. Photopoints below show some of the native vegetation recovery over the last two years. Freycenetia arborea (IeIe) patches are thicker, Metrosideros polymorpha (Ohia) trees have filled in, and Microlepia strigosa (Palapalai) at the bottom northeast corner of the enclosure now completely covers what was once bare ground. Shot 1: March, 2012 Shot 1: October, 2014 Shot2: March, 2012 Shot 2: October, 2014 Above photos: Two different angles of an area previously dominated by bare ground now filling in with outplants, seed sows, and native fern recruits and expansion. 3 Appendix 1-3-3 Snail Enclosure Revegetation Summaries YER 2014 Shot 3: March, 2012 Shot 3: October, 2014 Above shot: March photo shows thin F.arborea that was previously growing in P. cattleianum stand. F. arborea has filled out, with many new IeIe ‘heads’. Outplants and recruits are connecting with this existing vegetation. Shot 4: March, 2012 Shot 4: October, 2014 Above shot: Bare corner of enclosure (formerly thimbleberry weed) filled in with expanded M. strigosa fern, transplanted Cibotium chamissoi, and outplants (C. longifolia visible). 1.2 Hapapa Snail Enclosure This year restoration activities inside the Hapapa snail enclosure included understory weed control as needed, and outplanting of native snail host trees. Most of this work is conducted by the snail management team. Weed Control Summary: The most dedicated weed effort this year focused on controlling fast-growing, sun-loving understory weeds that colonized during winter rains. One weed in particular, Drymaria cordata var. pacifica was persistent regardless of multiple control efforts. This low growing weed forms dense mats in disturbed areas and produces sticky fruits that disperse easily. Initial controls by handpulling were unsuccessful and mats would re-form quickly after rains. Now, dense areas are controlled using a glyphosate product at a 2% mix-rate, carefully applied to 4 Appendix 1-3-3 Snail Enclosure Revegetation Summaries YER 2014 minimize non-target impact to surrounding vegetation. This technique was successful in knocking back levels, and will be used this coming year if recruit levels are high after rains. Aside from the flushes of herbaceous weeds, most other understory weed control is conducted as needed by snail program staff during regular snail work inside the enclosure. Passiflora suberosa recruits are commonly targeted, along with the recruits of weedy tree species such as Toona ciliata, Spathodea campanulata, Schinus terebinthifolius and Grevillea robusta. Opportunistic weed control is sufficiently maintaining low levels of understory weed cover. New problematic weed infestations are not anticipated, and treatment of the suite of weeds that recruit in open areas is expected to reduce as native canopy cover levels continue to increase. Re-vegetation Summary: The number of individuals planted is much lower than goals set for this year. As planting began early in the year, staff most familiar with the area noted early on in the year that open areas, and corridors between snail habitats were well planted, and that outplant survivorship was high all around. At that point, no more cuttings were taken, or seeds sowed to meet previously set goals. However, plants in the greenhouse slated for the Hapapa enclosure were still planted at a later date. Vegetation monitoring will be conducted in 2017/2018 to assess the need for additional outplantings in order to reach canopy cover goals of establishing over 80% native cover across the core of the enclosure after 10 years of existence.