Invasive Plants in PNW Ecosystems
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The Integrated Control Program for Cytisus scoparius at Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve.Caroline Marschner and Eric Delvin, The Nature Conservancy, Mima Mounds NAP contains one of the highest quality Puget prairies remaining in western Washington and has been recognized as a National Natural Landmark. The integrity of this ecosystem is threatened by the invasion of a non-native woody shrub, Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius. In the 1990s, control efforts at Mima Mounds focused on the use of prescribed fire and mechanical control techniques. Beginning in 2001, herbicides were added as an additional control tool to this integrated control program. Information on the density and distribution of Scotch broom and prairie quality are used to match the appropriate control tool (chemical, mechanical and fire). Chemical treatment (triclopyr ester) was applied to dense patches of Scotch broom where prairie quality was lower and used on both seedlings and larger Scotch broom plants. These applications were conducted with backpack sprayers and with the hand wand on a powered sprayer, in addition to the boom sprayer on the tractor. Three years of data on the percent cover of broom at Mima Mounds demonstrate that this integrative approach has been successful. This talk both describes the strategy used for the integrated Scotch broom control methods used and describes the results of these efforts.
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