Title: Nonnative plants reviews in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)
Contact: Jane Kapler Smith, FEIS Team Leader
Funding source: Joint Fire Science Program (Tasks 00-1-2-09 and 03-4-2-03)
USDA Forest Service, Fire & Aviation Management
Agency contact: FEIS Advisory Committee (managers, staff experts, and biologists from all areas of the U.S. and all federal wildland management agencies—If interested in participating, please email jsmith09@fs.fed.us)
Description:
Information on the basic biology and fire ecology of 60 nonnative invasive plant species has been added to FEIS since 2001 (table 1). This effort increased the coverage of nonnative invasive plants in FEIS by about 40%, to 102 species as of Jan. 1, 2007 (www.fs.fed.use/database/feis/plants/weed/index.html). Managers use FEIS reviews of nonnative invasive species to address weed responses to wildland and prescribed fire, effects of weeds on fire regimes, and potential use of fire for control of weeds.
A list of Internet links regarding nonnative plants and fire was also added to FEIS during this project (www.fs.fed.use/database/feis/plants/weed/weedpage.html).
Publications:
Smith, Jane Kapler; Howard, Janet; McWilliams, Jack. 2004. Focus on invasive plants in the Fire Effects Information System. In: Engstrom, R. T.; Galley, K. E. M.; de Groot, W. J., eds. Proceedings of the 22nd Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference: fire in temperate, boreal, and montane ecosystems; 2001 October 15-18; Kananaskis Village, Alberta, Canada. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 137-140.
Other products: Final Report to Joint Fire Science Program, 3/20/2006
Table 1. Reviews of 60 nonnative invasive plant species completed for the Fire Effects Information System from 2001-2006. "N" indicates species new to FEIS, and "R" indicates species review completely rewritten in this project.
| Genus species | Common name | No. spp. | New (N) or Rewritten (R) |
| Acer platanoides | Norway maple | 1 | N |
| Acroptilon repens (Centaurea repens) | Russian knapweed | 1 | R |
| Ailanthus altissima | tree-of-heaven | 1 | N |
| Alliaria petiolata | garlic mustard | 1 | N |
| Arundo donax | giant reed | 1 | R |
| Bromus tectorum | cheatgrass | 1 | R |
| Cardaria draba, C. pubescens, C. chalapensis | hoary cress species: lens-podded, heart-podded, globe-podded | 3 | R |
| Carduus nutans | musk thistle | 1 | R |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental bittersweet | 1 | N |
| Centaurea diffusa | diffuse knapweed | 1 | R |
| Centaurea maculosa (C. biebersteinii, C. stoebe ssp. micranthos) | spotted knapweed | 1 | R |
| Centaurea solstitialis | yellow starthistle | 1 | R |
| Chondrilla juncea | rush skeletonweed | 1 | N |
| Cirsium arvense | Canada thistle | 1 | R |
| Cirsium vulgare | bull thistle | 1 | R |
| Convolvulus arvensis | field bindweed | 1 | R |
| Cynoglossum officinale | houndstongue | 1 | N |
| Cytisus scoparius, C. striatus | Scotch broom, Portuguese broom | 2 | N |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-olive | 1 | N |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | autumn-olive | 1 | R |
| Genista monspessulana | French broom | 1 | N |
| Hypericum perforatum | common St. Johnswort | 1 | N |
| Imperata cylindrica, brasiliensis | cogon grass, Brazilian satintail | 2 | N |
| Lepidium latifolium | perennial pepperweed | 1 | R |
| Lespedeza cuneata | sericea lespedeza | 1 | R |
| Ligustrum vulgare, L sinense, L. japonicum, L. amurense | privet species: Amur privet, Japanese privet, Chinese privet, European privet | 4 | N |
| Linaria dalmatica, L. vulgaris | toadflax species: Dalmatian, yellow | 2 | N |
| Lonicera fragrantissima, L. maackii, L. morrowii, L. tatarica, L. xylosteum, L. x bella | bush honeysuckles: winter, Amur, Morrow's, Tatarian, European fly, Bell's | 6 | N |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese honeysuckle | 1 | R |
| Lygodium japonicum, L. microphyllum | climbing fern species: Japanese, Old World | 2 | N |
| Lythrum salicaria | purple loosestrife | 1 | R |
| Melaleuca quinquenervia | melaleuca | 1 | R |
| Microstegium vimineum | Nepalese browntop | 1 | N |
| Potentilla recta | sulphur cinquefoil | 1 | R |
| Pueraria montana var. lobata | kudzu | 1 | R |
| Rosa multiflora | multiflora rose | 1 | R |
| Schinus terebinthifolius | Brazilian pepper | 1 | R |
| Sonchus arvensis | perennial sowthistle | 1 | R |
| Sorghum halepense | Johnson grass | 1 | R |
| Spartium junceum | Spanish broom | 1 | N |
| Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis, T. parviflora, T. gallica | saltcedar, French tamarisk, small-flowered tamarisk | 4 | N |
| Triadica sebifera (Sapium sebiferum) | tallowtree | 1 | N |
| Ulex europaeus | common gorse | 1 | N |
| Total no. species: | 60 | ||
| No. literature reviews: | 43 | ||
| No. reviews new to FEIS: | 20 | ||
| No. reviews completely rewritten in FEIS: | 23 |
Delivery date: March 20, 2006
