So Many Weeds, So Little Time: Prioritizing Use of Limited Resources
Start Date
2-5-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
2-5-2018 2:10 PM
Abstract
Invasive species have many impacts, including reduced crop production, toxicity to livestock, native plant community disturbance, and water quality degradation. There are many resources for invasiveness and impacts, ranging from web sites (e.g., invasives.org, NatureServe), jurisdictional weed lists developed by state and local governments, published literature and professional expertise. However, practitioners have little time for research and must decide where and how to allocate limited resources. At Metro, the Parks + Nature program maintains and restores more than 17,000 acres of parks and natural areas in a region with more than 500 exotic plant species. We manage upland forests, wetlands, oak and prairie habitats, riparian forests and nature parks. I will present a decision support tool developed to distill hundreds of plants into a framework that guides Metro scientists and technicians in assessing treatment needs. A two-way table places species in treatment contexts such as public areas where toxic plants cannot be tolerated. A number of species are targeted for treatment in prairie and oak habitats that would not be controlled in other settings such as riparian plantings. This framework helps staff focus resources where they are needed most. It provides consistent guidance across the natural areas program and saves time in planning treatments among areas. A discretionary tool, it is designed to be flexible and adaptable as new weeds arrive and new tools and knowledge emerge.
Subjects
Habitat assessment, Habitat restoration, Land/watershed management
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/25636
So Many Weeds, So Little Time: Prioritizing Use of Limited Resources
Invasive species have many impacts, including reduced crop production, toxicity to livestock, native plant community disturbance, and water quality degradation. There are many resources for invasiveness and impacts, ranging from web sites (e.g., invasives.org, NatureServe), jurisdictional weed lists developed by state and local governments, published literature and professional expertise. However, practitioners have little time for research and must decide where and how to allocate limited resources. At Metro, the Parks + Nature program maintains and restores more than 17,000 acres of parks and natural areas in a region with more than 500 exotic plant species. We manage upland forests, wetlands, oak and prairie habitats, riparian forests and nature parks. I will present a decision support tool developed to distill hundreds of plants into a framework that guides Metro scientists and technicians in assessing treatment needs. A two-way table places species in treatment contexts such as public areas where toxic plants cannot be tolerated. A number of species are targeted for treatment in prairie and oak habitats that would not be controlled in other settings such as riparian plantings. This framework helps staff focus resources where they are needed most. It provides consistent guidance across the natural areas program and saves time in planning treatments among areas. A discretionary tool, it is designed to be flexible and adaptable as new weeds arrive and new tools and knowledge emerge.
