JFSP task 00-1-2-09 (PI: Kevin Ryan)

JFSP task 03-4-2-03 (PI: Jane Kapler Smith)

Prepared by Jane Kapler Smith

Fire Sciences Laboratory

5775 W. Highway 10

Missoula, MT 59808

March 20, 2006

This report is submitted in hard copy (1) and CD-ROM (20 copies) as documentation of work produced for the Joint Fire Science Program. However, please note that all species reviews included here are also online in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS, at www.fs.fed.us/database/feis), and they may be updated at any time. For the most recent, highest-quality version of these reviews, therefore, users should always consult FEIS.
 

Summary: This task has added, updated, and increased the information on 60 nonnative invasive plant species available in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) and described information gaps in knowledge about these invasive species and fire. Managers are using these products to address problems with invasive species, especially responses to wildland and prescribed fire, effects on fire regimes, and potential use of fire for control.

List of objectives and accomplishments: The objectives of these JFSP tasks were

1)      update the Fire Effects Information System to include the latest information on fire ecology, fire effects, and effects on fire regimes of 60 nonnative plant species that have been identified as invasives in North America

2)      provide links from the Fire Effects Information System to other Internet sites with high-quality information on invasive species

3)      produce a report that identifies substantial gaps in the scientific literature regarding the relationship between fire and invasive species

Objective 1 is met by the addition or complete revision of FEIS literature reviews for 60 species of nonnative invasive plants, described in 43 literature reviews (table 1).

These species were selected from a list of 156 species nominated in 2001 by botanists and invasive plant specialists from every region of the U.S., representing the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and National Park Service (table 2, in Appendix 1). From this list, we eliminated native species and those that had recently been updated in FEIS. We made a preliminary selection of species that were

1. ranked high by experts from at least one region
2. nominated by experts from two or more geographic regions
3. described by substantial information in the published literature

To finalize the selections, we consulted Dr. John M. Randall and Dr. Mandy Tu of the Wildland Invasive Species Team for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). They helped us assess the informal knowledge available from managers on various species and recommended ways to group species with similar responses to fire (the shrub honeysuckles and broom species, for instance) into a single review.

Through a formal partnership under this task, the TNC Wildland Invasive Species Team also served as technical reviewers for literature reviews of 55 species.

Objective 2 is met by adding a page to the FEIS website entitled "Invasive Plants," where the user finds

1.      A link to a list of all nonnative invasive plants in FEIS, including those listed above and written under this task

2.      A list of other Internet sites with information on biology and control of invasive species. This list is not comprehensive but contains sites that FEIS writers found reliable, fairly wide in coverage, and containing information of generally high quality.

Objective 3 is met by the report and tables in Appendix 2, which are being prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Acknowledgments

The following people have contributed to completing this JFSP task (listed alphabetically). The most work by far was done by Kris Zouhar and Greg Munger.

Haughey, Autumn

Howard, Janet

Luensmann, Peggy

McMurray, Nanka

McWilliams, Jack

Meyer, Rachelle

Munger, Greg

Smith, Helen

Smith, Jane Kapler

Sutherland, Steve

Zouhar, Kris

The entire team is grateful to the Joint Fire Science Program for their support and patience.  We also thank John Randall and Mandy Tu, with the Wildland Invasive Species Team at The Nature Conservancy, for helping us develop the list of species to be reviewed in FEIS and for reviewing drafts as they were produced.

Go to FEIS online