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In 2007, the National Park Service Heartland Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (HTLN) contracted Davey Resource Group to complete an exotic plant monitoring project within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The project provided early detection of new invasive plant communities and documented the abundance of established communities. Field work was completed between May and October when the invasive vegetation was most distinguishable.
Approximately 260 kilometers were monitored along 822 transect lines spanning the entire park. The transect lines were pre-determined by HTLN staff and situated to avoid private property interspersed within the park boundaries. Davey loaded the transect line data into a Recon® handheld collection unit and used a Trimble Pro XR® GPS backpack unit with sub meter accuracy to navigate in the field. Data was collected on a Recon® handheld collection unit and on paper forms provided by HTLN. The transect lines were inventoried for 76 exotic plant species known to occur or threatening the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Davey biologists inventoried all areas that could be seen while staying on the transect line and noted all exotic plants. At the end of each line, a cover class rating (m2) was given to each species noted. All of the collected data was entered into a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet and delivered to HTLN for data interpretation.
The data collected from the project will help HTLN understand the frequency and distribution of invasive vegetation within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It will also serve as a warning sign for any potential invasive species that are new to the area. The first step in invasive vegetation management is understanding what invasive species are present, where the infestations are located, and how large of an area the infestations span. With this information, a management plan can be derived to efficiently and effectively control invasive vegetation.
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