Establishment of live willow cuttings in a floodplain site invaded by reed canarygrass. Michael P. Merriman

Transcription

1 Establishment of live willow cuttings in a floodplain site invaded by reed canarygrass Michael P. Merriman

2 Outline 1. Background 2. Methods 3. Preliminary Results and Discussion 100 Spray No Spray 2012 RCG % Areal Cover No Data April May June July August

3 The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) Floodplain Forest 1. Maintain nutrient levels and water quality 2. Prevent streambank erosion 3. Recreation area

4 The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) Floodplain Forest

5 Reed Carnarygrass (Pharlaris arundinacea) 1. Takes advantage of disturbance events 2. Captures forest openings 3. Propagules dispersed by springtime floods

6 What limits the re-establishment of floodplain forest after reed canarygrass invades? 1. Biotic interactions Competition 2. Propagule limitation Seed availability 3. Abiotic constraints Hydrology

7 Adams and Galatowitsch (2006) Herbicide is twice as effective when applied in fall rather than in spring at controlling reed canarygrass (F=131.34, p<0.01).

8 Hovick and Reinartz (2007) Applied herbicide following first killing frost (October - November) Allows for dormancy of many native species while reed canarygrass is still active 10/27/2012

9 Kim et al. (2006) *Willows grow from cut sticks (willow stakes) after being stuck in the ground

10 What size stakes work best? Tall versus short willow stakes short stake tall stake reed canarygrass

11 Plot Design: Tall versus short willow stakes

12 When should we plant them? Spring versus fall plantings Spring Flooding Hydrograph courtesy of Nathan De Jager

13 Research Objectives 1. Determine the effect of late-fall glyphosate application on RCG during following growing season 2. Evaluate how resource availability responds to glyphosate application 3. Examine the effects of glyphosate treatment, willow stake height, and planting date on willow stake success

14 Site Description Study Site

15 Experimental Design Fully randomized design 10 treatments x 8 replicates = 80 plots

16 Treatment Levels 1. Glyphosate: No spray vs. Spray 2. Stakes: None vs. Short vs. Tall 3. Planting date: Fall vs. Spring

17 1. Glyphosate 10/27/ /7/ % of all plots treated with glyphosate (broad spectrum herbicide) Pesticide trade name Roundup Rate: 0.8 oz glyphosate isopropylamine salt (18%)/plot

18 2. Stake Height Planted plots: 50% short, 50% tall Stakes stuck 30 cm (1 ft) into the ground Tall height ~120 cm Short height ~60 cm 0.9m 1.5m

19 3. Planting Date Planted plots: 50% spring, 50% fall Fall 3/25/ /12/2011 Spring 11/12/2011 3/25/2012

20 Experimental Design 1.5m 1.5m 1.5m buffer zone no planting willow stake

21 Data Collection Reed Canarygrass Productivity Height Percent cover Belowground biomass

22 Data Collection Site Resources and Conditions Light levels Soil nutrient levels Soil moisture

23 Data Collection Willow Survival and Performance Survivors Tall vs. Short Fall vs. Spring Height and Canopy

24 Research Objectives 1. Determine the effect of late-fall glyphosate application on RCG during following growing season 2. Evaluate how resource availability responds to glyphosate application 3. Examine the effects of glyphosate treatment, willow stake height, and planting date on willow stake success

25 Results: Reed canarygrass height was not significantly affected by fall herbicide application RCG Canopy Height (cm) Spray No Spray 70 April May June July August

26 Results: Reed canarygrass percent cover significantly reduced by fall herbicide application from April till June 100 Spray No Spray 2012 RCG % Areal Cover No Data April May June July August

27 Results: Reed canarygrass belowground biomass was not significantly affected by fall herbicide application until August RCG Belowground Biomass (g) Spray No Spray April May June July August

28 Research Objectives 1. Determine the effect of late-fall glyphosate application on RCG during following growing season 2. Evaluate how resource availability responds to glyphosate application 3. Examine the effects of glyphosate treatment, willow stake height, and planting date on willow stake success

29 Results: Light Level (umol/s/m) Squareroot Transformed Light level was significantly higher in sprayed plots than no spray plots August No Spray Spray

30 Results: Total soil nitrogen level was not significantly affected by herbicide Total Nitrogen NH4 + NO3 (µ grams/10cm2/burial length) Spray No Spray July 2012

31 Results: Soil moisture was not significantly affected by herbicide 0.8 August 2012 Soil Moisture (g water/g dry soil) Spray No Spray

32 Research Objectives 1. Determine the effect of late-fall glyphosate application on RCG during following growing season 2. Evaluate how resource availability responds to glyphosate application 3. Examine the effects of glyphosate treatment, willow stake height, and planting date on willow stake success

33 Results: There were significantly more survivors in spring planting plots than in fall Average Number of Surviving Willows Per Plot No Spray Spray Short 0 Tall June 2012 Short Tall Fall Spring

34 Results: Willow performance

35 Results: Within spring plots, short willow stakes had significantly higher survival than tall Average Number of Surviving Willows Per Plot No Spray Spray Short 0 Tall June 2012 Short Tall Fall Spring

36 Results: Within spring plots, short willow stakes had significantly higher survival than tall Average Number of Surviving Willows Per Plot No Spray Spray Short 0 Tall June 2012 Short Tall Fall Spring

37 Results: Both willow height and lateral stem length were significantly higher in spray plots. 190 August August 2012 Average Willow Height (cm) Average Willow Latereral Stem Length (cm) Spray No Spray 80 Spray No Spray

38 Future Outlook Second round of spray and plantings Data collection for another year

39 Important Management Implications

40 Acknowledgements Advisors: Dr. Meredith Thomsen and Dr. D. Timothy Gerber Committee members: Dr. Rob Tyser, Dr. Anita Baines Fieldwork and lab help: Goose Island Campground, Brannick Beatse, Chris Bloomingdale, Sonja Cruz, Trevor Cyphers, Kaitlyn Riemann, Zebulon Secrist, Theresa Simpson

41 References Adams C.R., and S.M. Galatowitsch Increasing the effectiveness of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) control in wet meadow restorations. Restoration Ecology 14.3: Hovick, S.M. and J.A. Reinartz Restoring forest in wetlands dominated by reed canarygrass: the effects of pre-planting treatments on early survival of planted stock. Wetlands 27: Kim, K.D., K. Ewing, D.E. Giblin Controlling Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass) with live willow stakes: A density-dependent response. Ecological Engineering 27:

42 Thank you, any questions? Michael P. Merriman