Whitman Invasive Plants
The Whitman Walk Work Party focused on invasive plant removal in front of Haggett Hall/McCarty Hall. Our duty was to plant some helping plants that can help maintain the environment, such as Sword ferns and Wall lettuce. There were also other tasks available including implanting signs and trash-picking-ups. Yet, I found removing invasive plant more appealing to me and thus that became my primary duty of the day.
Invasive plants are defined as nonnative plants that are carried into the country either intentionally or not. Invasive plants are often environmental threatening if they are capable to adapt the new environment. Under extreme circumstances, a biome can experience a drastic decrease with its biodiversity. Using an example that was told today during the volunteer session, English ivy, an invasive plant, is found everywhere in the Whitman Walk area. English ivy is known for its adaptability of shade tolerances, meaning that it can sprout with a minimum amount of incoming sunlight. English ivy is also capable of creating this massive green carpet on the surface soil that will …show more content…
ultimately damage the biome by hindering other species of plant to land their seeds on the ground.
One extremely-threatening invasive species we saw today is Himalayan blackberry.
Himalayan blackberry was also asked to be removed due to its strong competence for sunlight with other native species, such as Douglas fir and Indian plum that are found around at the Whitman Walk area. Himalayan blackberry is also known for quick reproduction and thus creating a massive, dense, impenetrable bush that prevents other species from receiving sufficient sunlight (King Country, 2015). Himalayan blackberry also have stings allover its stem, making it less accessible to predators (seed protection) and removal by human. Other less invasive species are Nipplewort and Wall lettuce. They are relatively less threatening to native species and are also very easy to remove because unlike English ivy (super long, undergrounded root) and Himalayan blackberry (stings), they lack of specialized
protections.
Removing these species are especially important to preserve biodiversity. This is very critical because invasive species usually take over the resources that are needed for the native species (sunlight, water, space and soil). One other possible reason that I inferred is that these invasive species have roots that cannot really grab much soils. Both Nipplewort and Wall lettuce have shallow roots that are very inefficient with holding surrounding soils. Likewise, English ivy does not really root into the ground because it is a type of vine, which cluster around trees, take away water and nutrition sources, and thus making trees “top-heavy” (Beal). These invasive species network themselves rapidly in a biome, making soils vulnerable from water-washing, causing soil degradation and making the environment arid.
A method that was adapted to improve Whitman Walk area is to plant beneficial species into the environment. We are introduced to Sword fern and Western hemlock throughout today’s session. These two species, specifically, have strong, massive-networked roots that can help holding the soil. Sword fern is a native species that provide cover for wildlife and also it prefers a moist, shadowy environment, which makes them less sunlight-competitive.
To help the Sword fern and Western hemlock to adapt and survive in the Whitman Walk area, we were asked to plant them in a specific way. First, we were asked to pile the soil to the roots so that there will not be air sacs in the soil. Secondly, we had to leave this caved-in shaped soil around after the plantation and then we built a small “dam” before we moved to the next plant. This would allow water to stay around the plant after rainfall or when any water resources are accessible. We also cover the topsoil with decaying leaves to prevent the existing seeds in the soil from sprouting. And by the time these plants adapt to the “new” environment, hopefully they will help the Whitman Walk area to maintain its biodiversity and ecosystem.
Invasive plants are defined as nonnative plants that are carried into the country either intentionally or not. Invasive plants are often environmental threatening if they are capable to adapt the new environment. Under extreme circumstances, a biome can experience a drastic decrease with its biodiversity. Using an example that was told today during the volunteer session, English ivy, an invasive plant, is found everywhere in the Whitman Walk area. English ivy is known for its adaptability of shade tolerances, meaning that it can sprout with a minimum amount of incoming sunlight. English ivy is also capable of creating this massive green carpet on the surface soil that will …show more content…
ultimately damage the biome by hindering other species of plant to land their seeds on the ground.
One extremely-threatening invasive species we saw today is Himalayan blackberry.
Himalayan blackberry was also asked to be removed due to its strong competence for sunlight with other native species, such as Douglas fir and Indian plum that are found around at the Whitman Walk area. Himalayan blackberry is also known for quick reproduction and thus creating a massive, dense, impenetrable bush that prevents other species from receiving sufficient sunlight (King Country, 2015). Himalayan blackberry also have stings allover its stem, making it less accessible to predators (seed protection) and removal by human. Other less invasive species are Nipplewort and Wall lettuce. They are relatively less threatening to native species and are also very easy to remove because unlike English ivy (super long, undergrounded root) and Himalayan blackberry (stings), they lack of specialized
protections.
Removing these species are especially important to preserve biodiversity. This is very critical because invasive species usually take over the resources that are needed for the native species (sunlight, water, space and soil). One other possible reason that I inferred is that these invasive species have roots that cannot really grab much soils. Both Nipplewort and Wall lettuce have shallow roots that are very inefficient with holding surrounding soils. Likewise, English ivy does not really root into the ground because it is a type of vine, which cluster around trees, take away water and nutrition sources, and thus making trees “top-heavy” (Beal). These invasive species network themselves rapidly in a biome, making soils vulnerable from water-washing, causing soil degradation and making the environment arid.
A method that was adapted to improve Whitman Walk area is to plant beneficial species into the environment. We are introduced to Sword fern and Western hemlock throughout today’s session. These two species, specifically, have strong, massive-networked roots that can help holding the soil. Sword fern is a native species that provide cover for wildlife and also it prefers a moist, shadowy environment, which makes them less sunlight-competitive.
To help the Sword fern and Western hemlock to adapt and survive in the Whitman Walk area, we were asked to plant them in a specific way. First, we were asked to pile the soil to the roots so that there will not be air sacs in the soil. Secondly, we had to leave this caved-in shaped soil around after the plantation and then we built a small “dam” before we moved to the next plant. This would allow water to stay around the plant after rainfall or when any water resources are accessible. We also cover the topsoil with decaying leaves to prevent the existing seeds in the soil from sprouting. And by the time these plants adapt to the “new” environment, hopefully they will help the Whitman Walk area to maintain its biodiversity and ecosystem.