Armstrong Preserve Meadow Management Plan

Tate Bushell Land Steward/ Educator, Pound Ridge Land Conservancy July 25th, 2012

Executive summary
The Armstrong Preserves meadow, a 1/3-acre treeless area, is one of the Pound Ridge Land Conservancys priority management areas. The meadow is currently colonized by invasive plants and, as an outdoor classroom, will be a venue to publicly demonstrate their removal. In June 2012, the PRLCs Tate Bushell submitted a report entitled The Armstrong Meadow Proposal to the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy board to outline the meadows potential conservation values and two possible management options, which include: 1. Manage the meadow as an open area, comprised of native and naturalized herbaceous grassland/ meadow plants. 2. Manage the meadow for forest regeneration. After reviewing this proposal, the PRLC board voted to implement management measures to meet the following ecological objectives: 1. Reduce the presence of invasive plant species in the meadow, including: garlic mustard, oriental bittersweet, Japanese barberry, wineberry, Japanese stilt grass, multiflora rose and mile-a-minute vine. 2. Maintain the native and naturalized plant species already present in the meadow. 3. Establish a zone of native shrubs/ small trees along the meadows edge 4. Promote the establishment of new native and naturalized herbaceous plants. 5. Suspend the use of the meadow as a parking lot during public events. In order to meet ecological objectives, a long-term (3+ years) invasive plant management plan and a native plant revegetation plan will need to be implemented. Each of these plans is outlined and described in this document, which will be used as a temporary management plan while the more comprehensive Armstrong Preserve Management Plant is drafted (completion expected Winter 2013).

1. Introduction
The Armstrong Preserves meadow is a 1/3-acre treeless area surrounded by a hardwood forest typical to northeastern Westchester County. It is unknown when the meadow was cleared, but the presence of a single living apple tree and an old map labeling the area orchard, suggest that the previous landowners kept an orchard at the site. The meadow is designated an old field under the New York State Ecological Communities classification system (Reschke, 1990). The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy has identified the meadow as a priority management area and has committed to long-term invasive plant removal and native plant revegetation. As an outdoor classroom, the meadows ecological transformation will be used to publicly demonstrate invasive plant removal and ecological alternatives to the manicured lawn. The public will witness firsthand the ecological conversion of a degraded meadow to one of greater conservation value. Signage, photographic records and written descriptions will help visitors to understand the stages of conversion and how to implement similar projects on their own properties.

2. Animals of the meadow

Mammals In the spring and summer of 2012, Tate Bushell and intern Matt Fuirst conducted a mammal survey in the Armstrong Meadow which positively identified the whitefooted mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), coyote (Canis latrans), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and chipmunk (Tamius striatus). In addition to these mammals an unidentified bat was seen above the meadow. A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) seen on the Armstrong Preserve is thought to use the meadow as a place to hunt and move through.

Figure 1. PRLC intern Matt Fuirst with a male white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) captured in the Armstrong Meadow.

Reptiles and amphibians A single eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) was found in the meadow in early June, 2012. Throughout the spring and summer the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) and American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) were found in the meadow. These species are thought to use the meadows dense patches of stilt grass and other graminoids as cover. Birds PRLC intern Matt Fuirst conducted a bird survey on the Armstrong Preserve during the spring of 2012, which included the meadow as a survey location. It is difficult to know how birds use the meadow; some may nest in the meadow, while others may simply fly through. The meadows ecological elements that appear to have the most value to birds are the mature white ash tree in the center of the meadow and the thickets of Japanese Barberry on the meadows southern edge.
Table 1. Birds recorded from the Armstrong Meadow, May-June 2012

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis) American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea)

3. Current vegetation in the meadow

The Armstrong meadow is currently home to both native or naturalized plants and invasive plants. It is assumed that without any active management the meadows invasive plants will eventually replace all but the most persistent native or naturalized plants. In terms of species there are more native or naturalized than invasive, but the invasive species occupy a relatively greater percentage of the meadows area. For example, one species stilt grass covers most of the meadow. We use the term native or naturalized to include plants that have not originated in North America, but have since been incorporated into the ecological fabric of our landscapes. These plants may locally achieve high abundances or densities (for instance, white clover, Trifolium repens), but are not known to be invasive and therefore dont pose an immediate threat to the native flora of the area. While we may not choose to actively promote naturalized plants in the meadow by planting and them, they have not been identified as species to remove. In the absence of overwhelming herbivory, old fields in eastern United States are typically sites of early succession and, therefore, host any number of young trees/ pioneer species. Over time, woody plants usually become established, flourish and eventually convert the open field into a thicket, woodland or forest. This pattern of succession is not currently taking place at the Armstrong Meadow because, much like other places in northern Westchester County, the meadow is under extreme pressure by the white tail deer browse. Because of this herbivory, the meadow has not been a site of forest regeneration and can be expected to stay a treeless habitat until the white tail deer density decreases. The herbaceous plants living in the meadow are somehow able to persist in the face of the high deer herd density.

Figure 2. The Armstrong Meadow, June 2012. A large white ash (Fraxinus americana) tree is surrounded by native, naturalized and invasive plants

Table 2. Native and naturalized plants of the Armstrong Meadow, July 2012

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Butter and eggs (Linaria vulgaris) Ladys finger (Persicaria muculosa) Horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) Clear weed (Pilea pumila) Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Plus 6 unidentified graminoid (grass, sedge or rush) species
Table 3. Invasive plants of the Armstrong Meadow, July 2012

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum) Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) Mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata)

4. Ecological objectives for the meadow

The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy has set qualitative objectives to guide management of the Armstrong Meadow. These were chosen over quantitative objectives because 1) we have a dynamic vision of the future meadow, where the presence and abundance of plants fluctuates in space and time thus making a numeric target obsolete and 2) qualitative objectives currently demand fewer resources to establish and monitor the progress towards. The table below identifies and describes the current objectives for the Armstrong Meadow.
Table 4. Ecological objectives for the Armstrong Meadow

1.

2.

3.

Objective Reduce the % cover of each of the following invasive plant species: garlic mustard, wine berry, multiflora rose, Japanese stilt grass, Japanese barberry, Asiatic bittersweet, mile-a-minute vine. Maintain the native and naturalized plant species already present in the meadow. Establish a zone of native shrubs along the border of meadow. Promote the establishment of native and naturalized herbaceous plants.

Rationale If left unmanaged these species will continue to spread and outcompete most other plants in the meadow. It is feasible that, over time, the meadow will be comprised solely of these plants.

The native and naturalized plants that currently reside in the meadow add to its biodiversity and their presence should be safeguarded. A zone of native shrubs will provide an intermediate habitat between the open meadow and the surrounding forest. This shrubby habitat will likely be used birds and will block the recolonization of invasive shrubs. Establishing new native and naturalized herbaceous plants will increase the meadows biodiversity and add resistance to invasion of unwanted species. Currently, the PRLC has not identified which native plants are desired for reestablishment.

4.

5. Implementing management
This section describes The PRLCs course(s) of management to reach each desired objective. Objective 1: Reduce the percent cover of each invasive plant species. Each invasive plant requires a unique removal strategy, timeline and technique. The removal of one species may be quickly achievable while another may demand a long-term and persistent removal strategy. Below are removal plans for each of the invasive plant species. Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum) Japanese stilt grass is an annual grass that flowers in the late summer/ early fall. Cutting/ mowing in the late summer while the plant is in flower (August/ September) prevents the plant from producing new seeds. Cutting stilt grass earlier in the growing season allows the plant to regrow and flower. A large lawn mower will be used to remove large swaths of stilt grass while small patches and patches in sensitive areas will be addressed with a weed whacker. Cutting flowering stilt grass prevents new seeds from being made, but viable preexisting seeds in the soil will continue to germinate and therefore yearly cutting/ mowing will be necessary. According to published research, the stilt grass seed bank can take up to five years to exhaust. Yearly cutting should slowly reduce the percent cover of stilt grass in the meadow. In the northern portion of the meadow, stilt grass grows among many other native and naturalized plants. If possible, native and naturalized plants should be spared while stilt grass is killed. Eventually, after several years of mowing these areas, stilt grass will be a drastically outnumbered by other plants. When this stage is reached, weed whacking and/or hand pulling will be more appropriate than mowing. Alternatively, in the southern portion of the meadow, stilt grass currently creates a near monoculture. This area will likely be the last freed of intense stilt grass cover and, therefore, will be mowed the longest. As the stilt grass density decreases in this area it may automatically be filled with other plants. If the naturally establishing plants are desired (i.e., native and/or naturalized) they should be spared during the annual killing of the stilt grass. If undesired, these plants should be removed. Dense mats of dead stilt grass currently cover parts of the meadow and inhibit the germination of both seed banked stilt grass seeds and native seed. The PRLC will rake up these thick mats in the late fall or early spring to encourage the germination of seed banked stilt grass seeds with the objective of quickly exhausting the seed bank. Clearing the thick mats will also promote the germination of native seeds. We will safely burn or compost raked up mats of dead stilt grass.

Invasive shrubs: Wine berry (Rubus phoenicolasius), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) The meadows invasive shrubs are all perennial, rapid expansionists and often able to survive a single cutting. For these plants, two removal methods cutting and pulling prevail as ideal. Cutting these shrubs to the ground works to weaken the root reserves but is often unsuccessful at killing the plant. For cutting to be effective, shrubs should be cut twice a year (i.e., before leaf out and after leaf off) until the plant is dead (typically 1 or 2 years). When small and manageable, plants should be completely pulled from the ground to prevent future growth. While this method ensures the death of the plant, it requires more time and energy than a single cutting and can potentially create a soil environment hospitable for garlic mustard and stilt grass. After pulling a shrub, exposed soil should be covered by leaf litter or other available organic debris. The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy will remove invasive shrubs by both cutting and pulling. After their initial removal we can expect that these invasive shrubs will germinate in the meadow. These small plants can be easily hand pulled once a year or killed by a lawn mower during treatment of the meadows stilt grass. Pulled shrubs or the pieces of cut shrubs will be left in a large pile on the forest floor. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) This biennial will be cut, mowed or pulled in its second year while in flower (late spring, early summer). Pulling by hand is effective but time consuming. Mowing or weed whacking is effective and quicker than pulling by hand. The PRLC will employ both methods to remove garlic mustard. Once removed, plants in their first year will be left to decompose on the ground, whereas plants in their second year will brought to a dry, sunny spot and left to desiccate. Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) These perennial vines aggressively strangle the meadows trees. Small bittersweet plants will be completely removed from the ground while bigger plants need to be cut with hand tools. When cutting bittersweet it is best to remove as much as possible of the vine from the tree. Specifically, two cuts should be made: one very low to the ground and one at head height. After cutting, there should be a bittersweet-free zone roughly 5 feet wide, starting from the ground. Roots left in the ground will often send up new shoots, therefore it will be necessary to cut bittersweet vines every three or four years. Cut vines will be left in a pile on the forest floor. Although tenacious, these vines are relatively slow growing which makes their control possible. Vines will be removed from all trees surrounding the meadow. Mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata) This fast growing vine is not well established in the meadow. Only found in a few areas, it has already been hand-pulled and placed on the Armstrong Houses

driveway to desiccate. The entire plant (with root) should be hand-pulled before going to seed (mid/late summer) and desiccated on an impervious surface. Objective 2. Maintain the native and naturalized plant species already in the meadow. The PRLC assumes that the native and naturalized plants currently growing in the meadow are not under pressure of the white tailed deer. Therefore, in order to maintain their presence in the meadow it is not necessary to enclose them in fencing. Given space and resources, we assume that these plants will persist. It is desirable to maintain these plants because as the cover and abundance of invasive plants wanes, these plants will be on-hand to quickly revegetate the meadow. To maintain the native and naturalized plants in the meadow they will be spared during the removal of invasive species. Hand pulling and cutting of invasive species should be conducted in a manner that leaves desired plants unharmed, for example, cutting early and late in the growing season when desirable plants are dormant and cutting with care. If possible, when mowing Japanese stilt grass in the late summer, desired plants will be left unmowed. Suspending the use of heavy machinery in the meadow (i.e., cars, trucks, front-loaders) will reduce future soil compaction and help keep the soil habitable for these desired plants. Objective 3. Establish a zone of native shrubs around the meadow We will establish a zone of shrubs and small trees around the edge of the meadow to 1) provide a shrubby habitat for nesting birds, 2) mimic the edge of a typical wild meadow and 3) demonstrate to homeowners ways that they can provide animal habitat in their backyards.
Table 5. List of potential shrubs and trees to plant around the Armstrong Meadow. All plants are available for sale at Fiddlehead Creek Nursery, NY and some are available through the Catskill Native Nursery, NY.

Grey Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) Rose (Rosa virginiana) Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Apple (Malus domestica) *non- native Some shrubs and trees will need to spend their first years behind a deer-proof fence. Once these plants are big enough and well established the fencing can be removed. Additionally, some plants like bayberry may be deer-resistant enough to survive without fencing. The PRLC is currently working on a detailed shrub planting plant for the meadow.

Objective 4. Promote the establishment of native herbaceous plants. The PRLC will promote the establishment of native herbaceous plants by 1) planting nursery-bought herbs and 2) sowing nursery-bought seeds. This planting will start slowly while the invasive plants retain dominance of the meadow. As the invasive plants (mostly stilt grass) are reduced, more emphasis will be put on planting. In the spring of 2013, a small patch of dead stilt grass (roughly 10 ft. X 10ft.) will be raked up and one pound of native meadow plant seeds will be sown. Small patches will be hand picked year by year until enough of the stilt grass is removed to warrant a widespread planting of seeds. Likewise, only a few potted native plants will be transplanted into the meadow while invasive plants dominate it; more transplanting will take place as the stilt grass is reduced. One or two fenced sections of the meadow will highlight non-deer resistant herbaceous plants that are especially attractive, rare or beneficial to wildlife. Currently, Fiddlehead Creek, a NY nursery that carries only plants native to NY, is the most ideal source of seeds and plants. Fiddlehead Creek sells seed mixes of native meadow plants and year-old potted plants. The PRLC has not yet compiled a list of desired native plants.

6. Monitoring progress toward our ecological objectives

The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy will monitor their management progress qualitatively, including: 1) comparison of photographs over time, 2) comparison of plant lists over time, and 3) casual routine inspection by the PRLCs Land Steward and/or PRLC board members. A 2012 Armstrong Meadow plant list currently exists and will be used as a baseline to be compared against in the future. Also, the set of 5 photographs was taken during the summer of 2012 to capture the meadows vegetative state. These photographs each taken at a carefully chosen location to capture a specific characteristic of the meadows ecological condition are stored on the PRLC office computer at the Armstrong House Education Center alongside detailed instructions for re-locating each photographs position. To facilitate subsequent repeat photography, rebar was driven into the ground at these photograph locations.

7. Resources
Reschke, C. 1990. Ecological Communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation, Latham, New York.