Steve Baskauf
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 1:30-2:00
In 2003, students from Vanderbilt University removed Lonicera maackii (bush honeysuckle) from a heavily infested woody area in Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2008, the size distribution of woody stems was measured from randomly selected quadrats in a plot in the area where L. maackii was removed and in a nearby plot that was still heavily infested. The distribution of individuals in height classes ranging from 0-100 cm differed significantly between the two plots, with relatively more individuals in the smaller size classes in the plot where L. maackii was not removed. These results suggest that removal of L. maackii produced a noticeable effect on understory plants in a relatively short period of time. The study also demonstrated how student participants can assist in the removal of an invasive species and help measure the impact of its removal.
Keywords: INVASIVE SPECIES, CONTROL, DECIDUOUS FOREST, CENTRAL UNITED STATES