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LEGACY PROJECTS
Legacy Project 06-328 A major component of the project is the compilation of a guidebook focusing on invasive vegetation of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW), which will provide information to DoD installations in the CBW and facilitate appropriate management actions. The guidebook will include species descriptions, pictures, and control techniques for some of the CBW's most troublesome invaders. It also will have sections discussing the formation of cooperative partnerships to achieve management objectives, preventing recurring invasions through restoration of managment areas, and a section describing the work conducted at Fort Belvoir. Check back here in the coming months to view the completed guidebook.
The second aspect of the project is the pilot site at Fort Belvoir Army Garrison, VA where on-the-ground control is taking place. Management activities are being conducted along a segment of Fort Belvoir's basin trail in the Accotink Wildlife Refuge. Several invasive plant species have been targeted for control, including Chinese lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), common reed (Phragmites australis), and oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus).
Working with Invasive Plant Control, Inc., mulitple areas along the basin trail will be treated with an herbicide application late this summer to reduce some of the worst areas of infestation. Other areas of Japanese honeysuckle and Japanese stiltgrass are being removed manually by hand pulling. Friends of Accotink Creek, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting the biological integrity of the Accotink Creek Watershed, will be assisting with invasive species removal efforts along the trail. |
