The UAF invasive plant task force invites the public to a meeting Wednesday, April 28 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the UAF University Park Building, 1000 University Ave., Room 102.
SNRAS graduate student Marie Heidemann is working with a task force to develop a plan to manage invasive plants on the UAF campus, such as bird vetch (pictured above), white sweetclover, and butter and eggs. According to the Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management, invasive plants have many characteristics that allow them to compete with, and often dominate, native vegetation. They grow rapidly, mature early, and effectively spread seeds that can survive a long time in the soil. Their profuse vegetative reproduction produces dense shade, which along with toxins suppresses the growth of their competitors. Invasive plants often lack predators, and can hybridize or cross-pollinate with local plants, compromising the genetic makeup of native species. They easily create monocultures in the understory, preventing the establishment and growth of seedling trees. Some invasive plants even change ecosystems by utilizing large amounts of water and nutrients, altering soil and water resources and increasing fire frequency.
Heidemann is developing a long-term management plan for invasive plants on the main UAF campus for her graduate project. She has a BS in environmental science from the University of Iowa. She worked for Alaska Cooperative Extension Service as a seasonal invasive plant management technician in Juneau and moved to Fairbanks in August. Her advisor is Associate Professor Susan Todd. Heidemann used the plant maps created by Jessica Guritz in the summer of 2008 as the basis of the plan. Her project is being funded jointly by the US Forest Service and SNRAS.
Contact Heidemann at 474-7298.
Further reading:
Student maps invasive weeds on campus, SNRAS Science & News, Oct. 20, 2008
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