Monitoring & controlling invasive plants at Rohn Cabin: 2013 update
Dates
Year
2013
Citation
Greenstein, C., 2013, Monitoring & controlling invasive plants at Rohn Cabin: 2013 update: Alaska Natural Heritage Program, University of Alaska Anchorage: Anchorage, AK, p. 38-38.
Summary
The Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP), University of Alaska Anchorage, visited Rohn Cabin 31 July 2013 to inventory and remove non-native plant species from BLM property at the site. This is the fourth year in which AKNHP has surveyed and treated non-native plants at Rohn Cabin. The ongoing treatment and survey activities occur for several reasons. First, this remote location is a hub of activity during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; many people and large amount of materials are introduced to the site, including straw for sled dog bedding, which is a known vector for invasive plant propagules. This is a relatively well-known stop along the Iditarod Trail, and successful weed treatment here may encourage invasive plant management [...]
Summary
The Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP), University of Alaska Anchorage, visited Rohn Cabin 31 July 2013 to inventory and remove non-native plant species from BLM property at the site. This is the fourth year in which AKNHP has surveyed and treated non-native plants at Rohn Cabin. The ongoing treatment and survey activities occur for several reasons. First, this remote location is a hub of activity during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; many people and large amount of materials are introduced to the site, including straw for sled dog bedding, which is a known vector for invasive plant propagules. This is a relatively well-known stop along the Iditarod Trail, and successful weed treatment here may encourage invasive plant management at other checkpoints along the trail. Second, the site is surrounded by undisturbed spruce forest and thus acts as a natural laboratory to study whether the non-native species known to occur at the site are able to move into nearby pristine areas. Third, and most importantly, control actions at Rohn Cabin are intended to prevent the spread of invasive species into adjacent natural areas. Fourth, since the area receives follow-up treatments on a fairly regular basis, weed management activities can be evaluated for efficacy and consequently improve the knowledge base for weed management in remote areas. For example, mustard species (Brassica rapaand B. napus), chickweed (Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare), common plantain (Plantago major), timothy (Phleum pratense), and non-native bluegrasses (Poa annua and P. pratensis) have been eliminated from the site, showing a positive response to hand pulling, while foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) continues to spread undeterred by manual control efforts. Furthermore, there has been success at the cabin entrance, where weeds were cleared down to bare ground, and at the FAA site, which sees little human traffic. The meadow in front of the cabin and nearby forest, where sled dogs and bedding straw are in great abundan
