The LIISMA team has been hard at work this month with many upcoming projects underway, many of which are still in development, but stay tuned!
One of LIISMA’s field highlights for July was a terrestrial priority conservation area survey with the NYSDEC Forestry management team at the David A. Sarnoff Preserve, a 2,700 acre preserve hosting highly valuable ecological communities such as pitch pine-oak forest and pitch pine-oak-heath woodland areas that both teams aim to protect from invasive species threats.
The LIISMA Team, consisting of Bill Jacobs, Melody Cerniglia, Kassidy Robinson and Abigail Marino joined Daniel Vladu and Natalie Ammerata of the NYSDEC R1 Forestry Team to assist with surveying and inventory analysis of invasive plant species within the Preserve, utilizing the iMapInvasives tool, iMap Mobile Advanced in Esri’s ArcGIS Field Maps application. Both teams worked to carefully survey invasive plants in stand 19 of the Preserve. The NYSDEC team plans to manage invasive plants along this parking lot/fire road with manual, mechanical, and chemical methods.
Thunberg’s barberry (Berberis thunbergii, Tier 4 invasive species listed for local control) was determined to be abundant along the trailside, in the form of small to medium shrubs. Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima, Tier 4 species) was also observed, with medium trees detected on the roadside, three large trees in the interior, and several seedlings and saplings just past the parking area trailside. Other Tier 4 invasive species detected in lower abundance included wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), round-leaved bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), privet (Ligustrum spp.), and platanoides maple (Acer platanoides).
Though not observed on this visit, forestry staff aims to monitor for emerging invasive species to the pine barrens, including linden arrowwood (Viburnum dilatatum, Tier 4 species), tea viburnum (Viburnum setigerum, likely ranked as a Tier 3 or 4 species on Long Island and not currently listed on the NYS Tier Ranking List), and pale swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum, Tier 4 species).
In surveying for these invasive species, the teams also determined that this preserve is home to many ecologically-beneficial native species as well, these include: red maple (Acer rubrum), common yarrow (Achillea millefolium), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), rosette-panicgrass (Dichanthelium spp.), burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius), hyssopleaf thoroughwort (Eupatorium hyssopifolium), and wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).
Also observed was black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), American holly (Ilex opaca), eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia var. angustifolia), round headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata), (northern bayberry) Myrica pensylvanica, switch grass (Panicum virgatum), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), and pitch pine (Pinus rigida).
Along the way, we also found black cherry (Prunus serotina), white oak (Quercus alba), bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia), black oak (Quercus velutina), scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), and lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum).
In addition to LIISMA’s teamwork with NYSDEC in the David. A. Sarnoff Preserve, the LIISMA Team, represented by Abigail Marino, also assisted the NYSDEC R1 Freshwater Fisheries Management and Research Team, led by Carlos Morantes-Ariza, in water chestnut (Trapa natans, Tier 4 species) management at Brady Park, a subset of the Massapequa Creek System. The water chestnut was fortunately very sparse in comparison to other projects we’ve assisted with, and was found to be interspersed with spatterdock (Nuphar lutea). Parrot feather watermilfoil (Myriophyllum aquaticum, Tier 4 species) was also detected as sparsely populated along the shoreline, and promptly removed. Altogether, about four bags of water chestnut were collected and disposed of- another great example that teamwork really does make a difference!
