Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? This project is aligned with National Program 304, Crop Protection and Quarantine. Melaleuca quinquenervia (melaleuca) is an invasive, exotic tree in Florida. Effective management requires an integration of all available control techniques. Mechanical, chemical and physical control tactics have been refined in the last decades for greater efficacy, but all require extensive follow-up treatments to prevent regrowth of treated trees and emergence of new seedlings, and do not affect unmanaged infestations. The biological control agents Oxyops vitiosa (the melaleuca snout weevil) and Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (the melaleuca psyllid) limit melaleuca reproduction by reducing seed production, suppressing small seedlings and significantly damaging vegetative re-growth. And unlike mechanical and
chemical tools, biological control agents are self- perpetuating and self-dispersing, potentially providing melaleuca suppression that is both sustainable and area-wide, even in unmanaged areas. Biological control therefore offers an excellent complement to conventional treatments for melaleuca management, but its efficacy and integration with conventional approaches has not been demonstrated to public and private land managers. The goal of this area-wide project, entitled TAME Melaleuca, is to develop and promote a sustainable, integrated melaleuca control program through partnerships with federal, state, local, and private land managers. Specific objectives outlined in the TAME project plan of work are 1) demonstrate integrated melaleuca strategies; 2) survey melaleucas distribution outside its native range; 3) assess efficacy of control tactics; 4) assess socio-economic factors associated with current and proposed control tactics; and 5) transfer technology and information to land
owners and managers. Since its introduction to Florida in the late 1800s, melaleuca has proliferated in the state and now occupies >400,000 acres of agricultural, riparian and wetland systems in the state. Melaleuca is competitively superior to many native plants and rangeland grasses, with infestations resulting in degradation of waterways, native wildlife habitats, including portions of the unique and prized Everglades National Park, and the limited grazing lands in south Florida. Losses in wetland services due to melaleuca invasion are estimated at $30 million per year. Millions of dollars are also spent each year on melaleuca management, and the aggressive invader continues to spread, especially on private lands. 2. List by year the currently approved milestones (indicators of research progress) Year 1 (FY 2002) 1. Hire project coordinator. 2. Form advisory committee and develop project plan of work. 3. Identify collaborating researchers and initiate cooperate agreements for
projects. 4. Identify potential sites for demonstrating melaleuca treatments. Year 2 (FY 2003) 1. Select demonstration sites and map out treatment plots for each. 2. Collect pre-treatment information on plants at demonstration sites to serve as baseline data. 3. Make contacts for conducting melaleuca detection surveys within and beyond Florida. 4. Develop and mail socio-economic questionnaires for residents and professional land managers. 5. Design project website and informational brochures on melaleuca, biological control, and the TAME project. Year 3 (FY 2004) 1. Complete baseline plant data collection at demonstration sites. 2. Initiate demonstration site treatments and hold inaugural field tours to observe treatments. 3. Distribute biological control agents areawide. 4. Launch project website, produce and distribute informational brochures. 5. Produce treatment instruction video and general audience video. 6. Begin field trials of control tactics available to homeowners. 7.
Analyze responses from socio-economic questionnaires. 8. Begin data collection on melaleuca distribution outside of Florida. Year 4 (FY 2005) 1. Complete demonstration site treatments and prepare sites for field tours. 2. Conduct annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites. 3. Survey melaleuca acreage in Florida and continue collecting distribution data from other regions. 4. Collect post-treatment plant data at demonstration sites for treatment evaluations. 5. Collect treatment cost information for benefit-cost analysis. 6. Compile and summarize baseline socio-economic data from questionnaire responses. 7. Continue distributing biological control agents. 8. Distribute videos to individuals and public television outlets. 9. Develop instructional handbooks and melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program. Year 5 (FY 2006) 1. Conduct annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites. 2. Compile and summarize melaleuca distribution data for
Florida and other regions. 3. Analyze all treatment efficacy data and complete benefit-cost analyses. 4. Mail follow-up socio-economic survey, collect and analyze responses. 5. Continue distributing biological control agents. 6. Publish handbook. 7. Host melaleuca symposium on results from all TAME-related activities. 4a List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. Melapaleuza 2006 Professional Workshops and Outreach Events for Residents. The TAME Melaleuca projects principal accomplishment this year was Melapaleuza 2006, a series of educational events hosted at project demonstration sites and a series of interactive displays at local environmental and garden fairs. These activities align with the Biological Control and Weed Management Systems National Program Components of National Program #304 Crop Protection and Quarantine. Melapaleuza provided residents and professional land managers in agricultural and natural areas systems throughout south Florida
with the most current information on effective melaleuca management strategies, with particular emphasis on recent biological control technologies with which many may not be familiar. Three professional workshops were offered with approximately 125 participants attending; each workshop comprised classroom training and a field tour to showcase melaleuca treatment options including the two melaleuca biological control agents and their feeding damage, mechanical clearing of melaleuca with a variety of heavy machinery, melaleuca clearing and herbicide application by hand, and aerial herbicide application. Tours stressed the role of biological control in an integrated approach and its potential for self-sustained, long term melaleuca management. The TAME project also had manned display booths at nine environmental fairs and garden shows in five counties. More than 1,000 Floridians visited our booths to collect information about melaleuca and management options for residents, specifically
biological control. As a result of these educational events, land managers representing over 40 agencies and companies that are responsible for invasive species control efforts on over 1.4 millions acres now are equipped with the information needed to implement a biologically-based melaleuca management program, and concerned residents are better informed about the threat of melaleuca and what they as individuals can do to minimize the trees presence on private property, where it can serve as a source for continued invasion of natural areas. Mechanical and chemical treatments of melaleuca at demonstration sites and other site preparations were implemented through a specific cooperative agreement with the South Florida Water Management District. Melapaleuza workshops were organized and conducted by personnel from the USDA/ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) through a specific
cooperative agreement. 4b List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. Biological Control Agent Redistribution. Aligns with the Biological Control National Program Component of National Program #304 Crop Protection and Quarantine. To facilitate regional impacts of the two established biological control agents, the weevil Oxyops vitiosa and the psyllid Boreioglycaspis melaleucae, an ARS and state supported collection and redistribution effort has resulted in the release of over 248,500 insects during FY 2006, bringing the projects total to 1.9 million weevils and psyllids redistributed to 319 locations in 15 counties in central and southern Florida where melaleuca occurs. A coordinated strategy was used to concentrate insect releases in environmentally sensitive restoration sites or melaleuca dominated areas that were not slated for herbicide treatments until the distant future. With this approach, biological control agents are used to reduce reinvasion of restored sites
and halt continued invasion in untreated sites. In addition, 1,000 melaleuca weevils and 30,000 melaleuca psyllids were distributed via mail order to small land-owners in five counties as part of a specific cooperative agreement with the University of Florida. A third melaleuca biological control agent, the bud gall fly Fergusonina turneri, was approved for release in 2005. In FY 2006, work continued on developing effective rearing and release techniques for F. turneri, with additional releases and perhaps establishment expected in FY 2007. Benefit-Cost Analysis of Melaleuca Control. Aligns with the Weed Management Systems National Program Component of National Program #304 Crop Protection and Quarantine. A Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) of melaleuca control efforts in the year 2003 was developed. Previous estimates of the benefits of melaleuca control were based on hypothetical scenarios of melaleuca expanding unchecked, whereas an economic evaluation of actual progress made in
managing melaleuca would be more useful and even necessary to ensure continued benefits to society. Using information gathered through a mail survey of residents and professional land managers in 2004, benefits were assigned to areas where melaleuca had been treated or removed, based upon the land use classification. The benefit value assumed that ecological function was restored on these lands. Costs for melaleuca control were determined from expenses reported by professional managers surveyed. The resulting benefit-cost ratio (1.76) indicates that the benefits of melaleuca removal were significantly greater than the costs, and that control efforts provided a net social benefit to society in the year 2003. The survey and analyses were conducted through a specific cooperative agreement with the University of Florida. 4c List significant activities that support special target populations. A weed alert for melaleuca was created in Spanish and French for distribution to Caribbean
communities where melaleuca is known or suspected to be invasive, to collect data on the geographic range of the tree, but also to increase awareness of the invasive threat and promote early management of the tree in these regions. 4d Progress report. See attached accessions. 5. Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. These activities align with the Biological Control and Weed Management Systems National Program Components of National Program #304 Crop Protection and Quarantine. Towards achieving the principal aim and objectives of the TAME Melaleuca project as listed in Question 1 of this report, several major tasks have been accomplished through cooperative agreements with federal, state, local and private collaborators. More than 1.9 million melaleuca biological control agents, both weevils and psyllids, have been redistributed throughout melaleuca-infested regions of the state to augment their natural dispersal abilities and promote
biologically-based melaleuca management area-wide. Demonstration sites ranging in size from 5 acres to 100+ acres were established in five counties. Each site was treated with a combination of available mechanical, herbicide and biological controls, separately and combined to highlight advantages of an integrated approach. Melapaleuza 2005 and 2006, a series of training workshops and field tours, were held at the demonstration sites, with full-day events offered to professional land managers and half-day programs for general audiences. Representatives from more than 40 public agencies, private companies and non-governmental organizations attended. All events strongly emphasized the role of the two biological control agents in long-term melaleuca management, and how to recognize the agents and their feeding damage. Attendees were provided the information, instruction and encouragement needed to implement a biologically-based melaleuca management approach appropriate for their
situation. In 2006, TAME Melaleuca display booths were manned at nine environmental education events for the public in five counties, with more than 900 local property owners coming to the booth to get one-on-one information about melaleuca and control options, particularly the insect biocontrol agents. A TAME booth was also set up at the Florida State Fair, attended by 434,000 people. To further increase awareness of the invasive threat of melaleuca and to promote its management, informational brochures and cooperative extension bulletins in English, Spanish and French were produced and distributed throughout the state and other regions where melaleuca is an introduced invasive plant. Outlets for distribution include outreach events, professional meetings and conferences, and in TAME displays set up in visitor centers and cooperative extension offices in 12 counties. A project website serves as a repository for all information collected and produced by TAME Melaleuca, and is
continually updated. As of July 24, 2006, the site has had more than 44,814 visitors, including land management professionals, private property owners, researchers, members of the media, and students. In February 2006 the TAME project technology transfer and outreach work earned the USDA-ARS Technology Transfer Award for Superior Effort. In June 2006 the director and coordinator of the TAME project were selected to receive the Friends of Extension Award from the University of Florida Extension Professional Associations of Florida. Biannual aerial detection surveys conducted by the South Florida Water Management District were expanded beyond that agencys boundaries, leading to documentation of previously unrecognized but significant melaleuca populations in central regions of the state and in the Bahamas. Ground surveys have also documented infestations in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, and herbaria searches have been conducted to document the extent of melaleucas distribution in the southern
half of the U.S., Mexico and other regions of the Caribbean. These surveys, and their comparison with survey data from previous years, will help identify areas in need of increased management efforts as well as areas of management success. To gauge public awareness of melaleuca and identify target areas for educational outreach efforts, approximately 7,500 questionnaires were mailed to residents and professional land managers in the ten counties most at risk from melaleuca invasions. Information collected serves as a baseline for measuring progress in melaleuca management, adoption of recommended control practices, appropriateness of current policy and control programs, and the effectiveness of educational efforts. Information collected was used to analyze the socio-economic benefits and costs of melaleuca management efforts in 2003. The benefit-cost ratio of 1.76 indicates melaleuca management provided a clear benefit to society. A follow-up survey is planned for FY 2007 to measure
changes in awareness of melaleuca and use of management options including biological control. Supporting research on impacts of biological control have documented significant reductions in melaleuca flowering, seed production, seedling survivorship, growth and canopy density, and delayed reproductive maturity as a result of prolonged herbivory. When combined with mechanical removal, biological control agents significantly reduce height, biomass and ultimately survival of stump regrowth. Resultant reductions in melaleuca density, canopy cover and reproduction have allowed native vegetation to return in some areas. Some land managers report being able to reduce the intensity of their melaleuca management efforts and redirect resources to other invasive threats. Widespread bioagent distribution combined with education of land owners and resource managers on how to effectively employ the agents is expected to continue increasing the acreage on which integrated melaleuca management is
successfully implemented. Data collection is ongoing in studies of biological control distribution, establishment and impacts, as well as at demonstration sites to evaluate treatment efficacies and costs. At the projects end, results from all related research will be published as appropriate in scientific journals, trade and popular press articles and project literature. Information produced during the lifetime of the TAME Melaleuca project will be archived on the World Wide Web as a lasting resource on sustainable melaleuca management for land and resource managers, scientists, policy makers, and private citizens, and as an example for future area-wide weed management projects. 6. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? For many landowners in
Florida, the costs of mechanically removing or chemically treating mature melaleuca stands, which can be as dense as over 100,000 stems per hectare and greater than 20 meters tall, are prohibitive. Biological control, however, is available at no cost to the user and is proving to have a significant impact on melaleuca flowering and growth in south Florida. Constraints on adoption of biological control, especially by professionals interested in reducing management costs, should therefore be few. The only assumed constraints at this point in the project are a lack of awareness of the insects and of how to implement them most effectively, either alone or in combination with mechanical and chemical approaches already in use. For residents and private land owners, a similar lack of knowledge may limit adoption. A major goal of the TAME Melaleuca project is to increase awareness of melaleuca and possible management tactics among the public and among professional land managers. The insects
themselves have established self- perpetuating and self-dispersing populations throughout melaleuca- infested regions of Florida, so this technology is expected to endure indefinitely. In FY 2006, more than 279,500 melaleuca biological control agents, both psyllids and weevils, were distributed to publicly managed natural areas as well as privately owned residential lots. A series of professional workshops and manned booths at professional conferences and local community environmental events have helped to inform thousands of residents and land managers of the problems melaleuca poses to native ecosystems and, through the risk of fire, to developed areas. Perhaps more importantly, these outreach activities have educated people about viable control options, particularly biological control. In FY 2006, the TAME Melaleuca project received the USDA-ARS Technology Transfer Award for Superior Effort and the director and coordinator of the TAME project were selected to receive the Friends
of Extension Award from the University of Florida Extension Professional Associations of Florida. 7. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Finn-Carter, K. Socio-Economic Impacts of Controlling Melaleuca in South Florida. Masters Thesis, University of Florida, May, 2006. Finn-Carter, K., A. W. Hodges, D. J. Lee and M. T. Olexa. Melaleuca Management in South Florida: Background and Situation. University of Florida Extension Publication (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu). Finn-Carter, K., A. W. Hodges, D. J. Lee and M. T. Olexa. Melaleuca Management in South Florida: Professional Manager Survey Results. University of Florida Extension Publication (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu). Finn-Carter, K., A. W. Hodges, D. J. Lee and M. T. Olexa. Melaleuca Management in South Florida: Resident Survey Results. University of Florida Extension Publication
(http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu). Finn-Carter, K., A. W. Hodges, D. J. Lee and M. T. Olexa. Melaleuca Management in South Florida: Benefit-Cost Analysis. University of Florida Extension Publication (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu). Langeland, K. A. and M. J. Meisenburg . Professional Applicators Guide to Herbicides for Melaleuca Control, University of Florida IFAS Publication SS-AGR-258 (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG244). Langeland, K. A. and M. J. Meisenburg. Natural Area Weeds: A Property Owners Guide to Melaleuca Control. University of Florida IFAS Publication SS-AGR-96 (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG241). Langeland, K. A., A. P. Ferriter, C. S. Silvers, and P. D. Pratt. TAME Melaleuca an Area Wide Management Initiative. In: Proceedings, 2006 Conference, Weeds Across Borders, May 25-28, 2006, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In press. Roach, J. Its invaders vs. invaders as scientists target alien species. National Geographic News, February 22, 2006, http://news. nationalgeographic.com Scoles, J. C., P.
D. Pratt, C. S. Silvers, K. A. Langeland, M. J. Meisenburg, A. P. Ferriter, K. T. Gioeli, C. J. Gray. The Land Managers Handbook on Integrated Pest Management of Melaleuca quinquenervia. (http://tame.ifas.ufl.edu/html/publications.htm) Silvers, C. S. Go, TAME! Wildland Weeds, Summer 2006, vol. 9, no. 3, page 17. TAME Melaleuca. Malezas de las areas naturales del Caribe: Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake). TAME Melaleuca. Les mauvaises herbes des espaces naturels des Caraibes: Le Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia St Blake). Tasker, G. Melaleuca: Century-old problem. The Miami-Herald, July 3, 2006, page 1. Presentations Blackwood, J. S. and P. D. Pratt. TAME Melaleuca: demonstrating an integrated approach for control of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 15, 2005. Blackwood, J. S., D. M. Lieurance and P. D. Pratt. Fergusonina turneri (Diptera: Fergusoninidae) and its nematode symbiont, Fergusobia
quinquenerviae (Tylenchida: Neotylenchidae): potential biological control agents of Melaleuca quinquenervia in south Florida. Poster presentation, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Annual Symposium, Gainesville, FL, April 25-6, 2006. Bodle, M. Melaleuca in the Everglades. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. Chiarelli, R., P. D. Pratt, C. S. Silvers and T. D. Center. Influence of temperature and humidity on life history characteristics of Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a biological control agent of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Poster presentation, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Annual Symposium, Gainesville, FL, April 25-6, 2006 and Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Jupiter, FL, July 24-26, 2006. Ferriter, A. P., K. A. Langeland, C. S. Silvers, and P. D. Pratt. T.A.M. E. Melaleuca Demonstrating IPM for Melaleuca quinquenervia. Poster presented at Weeds Across Borders Conference, May 25-28, 2006,
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Harris, J. Melaleuca in urban landscapes. Melapaleuza 2006, Davie, FL, February 28, 2006. Langeland, K. A. Herbicides for melaleuca. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Davie, FL, February 28; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. Laroche, F. B. Mechanical removal. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Davie, FL, February 28; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. McCormick-Rote, C. Ecology and biology of melaleuca. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Davie, FL, February 28; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. Pratt, P. D. The role of biological control in Everglades restoration. The Summer Science Academy, June 16, 2006. Pratt, P. D. Biological control and integrated management. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Davie, FL, February 28; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. Pratt, P. D. Biological control of Melaleuca and integration with regional management efforts. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Melaleuca Eradication Coordination
meeting, November 22, 2005. Pratt, P. D. Biological control and Everglades restoration. Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Management, monthly seminar series, November 10, 2005. Pratt, P. D. Biological control and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Restoration Coordination and Verification team (RECOVER) . October 19, 2005. Rayamajhi, M.B., P.D. Pratt, and T.D. Center. Additive impact of plant pathogen-insect integration enhances pest-plant control efficacy: experimental evidence from rust-insect-melaleuca system. Joint Annual meeting of American Phytopathological Society, Canadian Phytopathological Society, and Mycological Society of America. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, July 29-August 2, 2006. Sevillano, L., P. D. Pratt, S. J. Franks, and C. Horvitz. Comparison of the size-structure of populations of Melaleuca quinquenervia in its native and parts of its introduced range with and without biocontrol agents. Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical
Biology and Conservation, Kunming China, July 2006. Silvers, C. S. Status of the TAME Melaleuca project. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Annual Symposium, Gainesville, FL, April 26, 2006. Silvers, C. S. Biological control of melaleuca: Are we there yet? University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences 2006 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course, Coral Springs, FL, May 4, 2005. Silvers, C. S. Menacing melaleuca. City of Plantation Tree Stewards, July 27, 2006. Silvers, C. S. Melaleuca: the problem and some enforcement solutions. Gold Coast Association of Code Enforcement, Margate, FL, August 17, 2006. Weston, M. and J. Isaacs. Melaleuca and fire: a growing menace. Melapaleuza 2006, Clewiston, FL, February 3; Davie, FL, February 28; Ft. Myers, FL, March 8, 2006. Wheeler, G.S. The characteristics of a great weed biological control agent: Oxyops vitiosa, a weevil introduced for control of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Ft
Lauderdale, FL, December 15-18, 2005.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Blackwood, J.S., Lieurance, D.M., Giblin-Davis, R., Pratt, P.D. 2005. Bud- gall fly release for biocontrol of melaleuca in florida.. Biocontrol News and Information. 26(2):48N.
- Franks, S., Kral, A., Pratt, P.D. 2006. Herbivory by introduced insects reduces growth and survival of melaleuca. Environmental Entomology. 35(2) :366-372.
|
Progress 10/01/01 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) Establish and implement an areawide pest management action program for melaleuca in Florida which results from a stakeholder partnership and collaboration dedicated to the development and adoption of improved melaleuca management technologies; demonstrate positive impacts and advantages of such a program through an enhanced environment and a proven superiority of an areawide IPM strategy; achieve a mature areawide pest management system so end-users will be left with an operational program. Approach (from AD-416) The areawide pest management program involves three phases of implementation over the five-year lifetime of the project. The first phase will be initiated in year one and includes: (a) establishment of an areawide oversight team and other teams as needed; (b) development of a conceptual plan for implementing an areawide program for melaleuca in Florida, and other planning activities, definition of the scope of the projects implementation; (c) definition of the specific target pest to be treated; (d) selection of sites and definition of the bounds of the implementation area; (e) execution of baseline data collection, feasibility studies and limited implementation; and (f) definition of the rage of research, extension, and education activities, economic, sociological and environmental impact assessments. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations This project terminated in 2006 but a 1 year extension was created for FY 07, under the project number 0500-00044-018-00D, The Areawide Pest Management and Evaluation of Melaleuca quinquenervia.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Melaleuca quinquenervia (melaleuca) is an invasive, exotic tree that has proliferated in Florida and now occupies >400,000 acres of agricultural, riparian and wetland systems in the state. Melaleuca is competitively superior to many native plants and rangeland grasses, with infestations resulting in degradation of waterways, native wildlife habitats, including portions of the unique and prized Everglades National Park, and the limited grazing lands in south Florida. Losses in wetland services due to melaleuca invasion are estimated at $30 million per year. Millions of dollars are also spent each year on melaleuca management, and the aggressive invader continues to spread, especially on private lands. An integration of all available control techniques is required to effectively manage melaleuca.
Mechanical, chemical and physical control tactics have been refined in the last decades for greater efficacy, but all require extensive follow-up treatments to prevent regrowth of treated trees and emergence of new seedlings, and do not affect unmanaged infestations. The biological control agents Oxyops vitiosa (the melaleuca snout weevil) and Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (the melaleuca psyllid) limit melaleuca reproduction by reducing seed production, suppressing small seedlings and significantly damaging vegetative re-growth. And unlike mechanical and chemical tools, biological control agents are self- perpetuating and self-dispersing, potentially providing melaleuca suppression that is both sustainable and area-wide, even in unmanaged areas. Biological control therefore offers an excellent complement to conventional treatments, but its efficacy and integration with conventional approaches has not been demonstrated to public and private land managers. The goal of this area-wide
project, entitled TAME (The Areawide Melaleuca and Evaluation), is to develop and promote a sustainable, integrated melaleuca control program through partnerships with federal, state, local, and private land managers. Specific objectives outlined in the TAME project plan of work are 1) demonstrate integrated melaleuca strategies; 2) survey melaleucas distribution outside its native range; 3) assess efficacy of control tactics; 4) assess socio-economic factors associated with current and proposed control tactics; and 5) transfer technology and information to land owners and managers. 2. List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Only one year remains on this Research Project and has not been subject to the Office of Scientific Quality Review (OSQR) process. Consequently it does not have an official Project Plan with milestones. Milestones listed here are taken from the projects internal Plan of Work. Year 1 (FY 2002) 1. Hire project coordinator. 2. Form
advisory committee and develop project plan of work. 3. Identify collaborating researchers and initiate cooperate agreements for projects. 4. Identify potential sites for demonstrating melaleuca treatments. Year 2 (FY 2003) 1. Select demonstration sites and map out treatment plots for each. 2. Collect pre-treatment information on plants at demonstration sites to serve as baseline data. 3. Make contacts for conducting melaleuca detection surveys within and beyond Florida. 4. Develop and mail socio-economic questionnaires for residents and professional land managers. 5. Design project website and informational brochures on melaleuca, biological control, and the TAME project. Year 3 (FY 2004) 1. Complete baseline plant data collection at demonstration sites. 2. Initiate demonstration site treatments and hold inaugural field tours to observe treatments. 3. Distribute biological control agents areawide. 4. Launch project website, produce and distribute informational brochures. 5. Produce
treatment instruction video and general audience video. 6. Begin field trials of control tactics available to homeowners. 7. Analyze responses from socio-economic questionnaires. 8. Begin data collection on melaleuca distribution outside of Florida. Year 4 (FY 2005) 1. Complete demonstration site treatments and prepare sites for field tours. 2. Conduct annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites. 3. Survey melaleuca acreage in Florida and continue collecting distribution data from other regions. 4. Collect post-treatment plant data at demonstration sites for treatment evaluations. 5. Collect treatment cost information for benefit-cost analysis. 6. Compile and summarize baseline socio-economic data from questionnaire responses. 7. Continue distributing biological control agents. 8. Distribute videos to individuals and public television outlets. 9. Develop instructional handbooks and melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program. Year 5 (FY 2006) 1. Conduct
annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites. 2. Compile and summarize melaleuca distribution data for Florida and other regions. 3. Analyze all treatment efficacy data and complete benefit-cost analyses. 4. Mail follow-up socio-economic survey, collect and analyze responses. 5. Continue distributing biological control agents. 6. Publish handbook and develop/implement melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program. 7. Host melaleuca symposium on results from all TAME-related activities. 3a List the milestones that were scheduled to be addressed in FY 2005. For each milestone, indicate the status: fully met, substantially met, or not met. If not met, why. 1. Complete demonstration site treatments and prepare sites for field tours Milestone Fully Met 2. Conduct annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites Milestone Fully Met 3. Survey melaleuca acreage in Florida and continue collecting distribution data from other regions Milestone
Substantially Met 4. Collect post-treatment plant data at demonstration sites for treatment evaluations Milestone Substantially Met 5. Collect treatment cost information for benefit-cost analysis Milestone Not Met Other 6. Compile and summarize baseline socio-economic data from questionnaire responses Milestone Fully Met 7. Continue distributing biological control agents Milestone Fully Met 8. Distribute videos to individuals and public television outlets Milestone Fully Met 9. Develop instructional handbooks and melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program Milestone Not Met Critical SY Vacancy 3b List the milestones that you expect to address over the next 3 years (FY 2006, 2007, and 2008). What do you expect to accomplish, year by year, over the next 3 years under each milestone? FY 2006 (5th and final year of project) 1. Conduct annual training workshops and field tours at demonstration sites. Anticipated accomplishment: Transfer technology on application and integration
of biological, chemical and mechanical control tactics to both professional land managers and private land owners. 2. Compile and summarize melaleuca distribution data for Florida and other regions. Anticipated accomplishment: Identify the extent of naturalized melaleuca populations and detect changes in Florida infestation levels since coordinated management efforts began. 3. Analyze all treatment efficacy data and complete benefit-cost analyses. Anticipated accomplishment: Provide data on benefits of biological control and integrated management to help technology transfer efforts and promote adoption of these methods. 4. Mail follow-up socio-economic survey, collect and analyze responses. Anticipated accomplishment: Measure changes in understanding of melaleuca, biological control and other management techniques among professional land managers and the public. 5. Continue distributing biological control agents. Anticipated accomplishment: Establishment of biological control agents
throughout melaleuca infested regions of Florida, for areawide suppression of this weed tree. 6. Publish handbook and develop/implement melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program. Anticipated accomplishment: Create a technology transfer methods that will continue beyond the life of this project. 7. Host melaleuca symposium on results from all TAME-related activities. Anticipated accomplishment: Transfer technology from all project researchers and cooperators to land and resource managers, scientists, public policy decision makers, and other stakeholders. 4a What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year? Melapaleuza 2005 Workshops. The TAME Melaleuca projects principal accomplishment this year was Melapaleuza 2005, a series of educational events hosted at project demonstration sites. Melapaleuza provided property owners and land managers throughout south Florida with the most current information on effective melaleuca management strategies, with
particular emphasis on recent biological control technologies with which many may not be familiar. A total of seven workshops were offered: four for professional land managers and three for homeowners. Each comprised classroom training and a field tour to showcase melaleuca treatment options including the two melaleuca biological control agents and their feeding damage, mechanical clearing of melaleuca with a variety of heavy machinery, melaleuca clearing and herbicide application by hand, and aerial herbicide application. Tours stressed the role of biological control in an integrated approach and its potential for self-sustained, long term melaleuca management. As a result of these educational programs, land managers from over 40 agencies that are responsible for invasive species control efforts on over 1.4 million acres now are equipped with the information needed to implement a biologically-based melaleuca management program on the majority of infested acres in the state.
Mechanical and chemical treatments of melaleuca at demonstration sites and other site preparations were implemented through a specific cooperative agreement with the South Florida Water Management District. Melapaleuza workshops were organized and conducted by personnel from the USDA/ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS). 4b List other significant accomplishments, if any. Bioagent Redistribution. To facilitate regional impacts of biological control agents, an ARS and state supported collection and redistribution effort has resulted in the release of over 250,000 insects during FY 2005, bringing the projects total to over 900,000 insects redistributed state- wide. A coordinated strategy was used to concentrate insect releases in environmentally sensitive restoration sites or melaleuca dominated areas that were not slated for herbicide treatments until the distant future. With this
approach, biological control agents are used to reduce reinvasion of restored sites and halt continued invasion in untreated sites. Video Broadcasts. An 18-minute video on the history of melaleuca in Florida, current management options, and the TAME Melaleuca project and its demonstration sites was produced by UF IFAS cooperators as part of their specific cooperative agreement. An abbreviated, 4-minute version was also produced to serve as a filler to air between broadcasts at the top of the hour. These segments served as general educational tools as well as advertisements for Melapaleuza demonstration events. Both videos were made available to all PBS stations in Florida through their state- wide feed. The videos were also sent directly to PBS and community stations in six counties where they aired multiple times, reaching an estimated audience of more than 1 million viewers. Free copies of the 18- minute video were sent to county cooperative extension agents in south Florida and are
available upon request at TAME outreach events and on the project website. 4c List any significant activities that support special target populations. Representatives from the Seminole Tribe of Florida attended our outreach events. 5. Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. Towards achieving the principal aim and objectives of the TAME Melaleuca project as listed in Question 1 of this report, several major tasks have been accomplished through cooperative agreements with federal, state, local and private collaborators. More than 900,000 biological control agents, both weevils and psyllids, have been redistributed throughout melaleuca-infested regions of the state to augment their natural dispersal abilities and promote biologically-based melaleuca management area-wide. Demonstration sites ranging in size from 5 acres to 100+ acres were established in five counties. Each site was treated with a combination of
available mechanical, herbicide and biological controls, separately and combined to highlight advantages of an integrated approach. Melapaleuza 2005, a series of training workshops and field tours, was held at the demonstration sites, with full-day events offered to professional land managers and half-day programs for general audiences. Representatives from more than 40 public agencies, private companies and NGOs attended. All events strongly emphasized the role of the two biological control agents in long-term melaleuca management, and how to recognize the agents and their feeding damage. Attendees were provided the information, instruction and encouragement needed to implement a biologically-based melaleuca management approach appropriate for their situation. Melapaleuza will be repeated in 2006. To reach audiences beyond Melapaleuza, five brochures were produced and more than 40,000 of each distributed throughout the state; project displays manned at community environmental
education events reached an estimated 6,500 people; a 4-minute and an 18-minute video on melaleuca management and TAME were produced and have had multiple airings on public television stations in several counties; and a project website serves as a repository for all information collected and produced by TAME Melaleuca. Biannual aerial detection surveys conducted by the South Florida Water Management District were expanded beyond that agencys boundaries, leading to documentation of previously unrecognized but significant melaleuca populations in central regions of the state and in the Bahamas. Ground surveys have also documented infestations in Puerto Rico, and herbaria searches are underway to document the extent of melaleucas distribution in the southern half of the U.S., in Hawaii, Mexico and other regions of the Caribbean. Florida surveys, and their comparison with survey data from previous years, will help identify areas in need of increased management efforts as well as areas of
management success. To gauge public awareness of melaleuca and identify target areas for educational outreach efforts, approximately 7,500 questionnaires were mailed to residents and professional land managers in the ten counties most at risk from melaleuca invasions. Information collected serves as a baseline for measuring progress in melaleuca management, adoption of recommended control practices, appropriateness of current policy and control programs, and the effectiveness of educational efforts. A follow- up survey is planned for FY 2006. Supporting research on impacts of biological control have documented significant reductions in melaleuca flowering, seed production, seedling survivorship, growth and canopy density, and delayed reproductive maturity as a result of prolonged herbivory. When combined with mechanical removal, biological control agents significantly reduce height, biomass and ultimately survival of stump regrowth. Resultant reductions in melaleuca density, canopy
cover and reproduction have allowed native vegetation to return in some areas. Some land managers report being able to reduce the intensity of their melaleuca management efforts and redirect resources to other invasive threats. Widespread bioagent distribution combined with education of land owners and resource managers on how to effectively employ the agents is expected to continue increasing the acreage on which integrated melaleuca management is successfully implemented. Data collection is ongoing in studies of biological control distribution, establishment and impacts, as well as at demonstration sites to evaluate treatment efficacies and costs. At the projects end, results from all related research will be presented at a symposium and published as appropriate in scientific journals, trade articles and project literature. Information produced during the lifetime of the TAME Melaleuca project will be archived on the World Wide Web as a lasting resource on sustainable melaleuca
management for land and resource managers, scientists, policy makers, and private citizens, and as an example for future area-wide weed management projects. 6. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? For many landowners in Florida, the costs of mechanically removing or chemically treating mature melaleuca stands, which can be as dense as over 100,000 stems per hectare and greater than 20 meters tall, are prohibitive. Biological control, however, is available at no cost to the user and is proving to have a significant impact on melaleuca flowering and growth in south Florida. Constraints on adoption of biological control, especially by professionals interested in reducing management costs, should therefore be few. The only assumed constraints at
this point in the project are a lack of awareness of the insects and of how to implement them most effectively, either alone or in combination with mechanical and chemical approaches already in use. For residents and private land owners, a similar lack of knowledge may limit adoption. A major goal of the TAME Melaleuca project is to increase awareness of melaleuca and possible management tactics among the public and among professional land managers. The insects themselves have established self- perpetuating and self-dispersing populations throughout melaleuca- infested regions of Florida, so this technology is expected to endure indefinitely. In FY 2005, more than 275,000 melaleuca biological control agents, both psyllids and weevils, were distributed to publicly managed natural areas as well as privately owned residential lots. Melapaleuza 2005, the first of our annual series of demonstration activities, was held at project demonstration sites. Melapaleuza 2005 comprised four full-
day training workshops for professionals, and three half-day sessions for the general public. Attending professional events were arborists, landscapers and horticulturalists, and resource managers from over 25 agencies, 14 companies, and 1 Native American tribe, with a combined responsibility for vegetation control on more than 1.4 million acres of the states natural areas. Attendees at public events included environmental educators and active community members who are likely to pass the information they learned on to others. The Technical Advisory Group for Biological Control Agents of Weeds (TAG), which reviews and advises on petitions submitted to APHIS for work on biological control of weeds, toured the largest of the TAME projects demonstration sites to see the successes of melaleuca biological control first hand. Interactive TAME Melaleuca exhibits were set up at two public environmental education events, reaching an estimated 6,500 Florida residents. Ten thousand each of TAME
Melaleucas brochures on melaleuca, the biological control program, and the area-wide project, and a lesser number of South Florida Water Management District melaleuca brochures, were distributed at these events, at Melapaleuza 2005, and at the 18 TAME promotional displays set up around south Florida. An 18-minute and 4- minute video on melaleuca, management options including biological control, and the TAME project were produced. Both videos were made available to all PBS stations in Florida through their state-wide feed. The videos were also sent directly to PBS and community stations in six counties where they aired more than 150 times in three months, reaching an estimated audience of more than 1 million viewers. In addition, approximately 100 free copies of the 18-minute video have been distributed to county cooperative extension agents in south Florida and upon request to members of the public. 7. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to
organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Popular Press Eckersley, V. The War Against Invasive Plants. The Palm Beach Post, February 27, 2005. Evans, E.A. Invasive Species: Trade and Socio-Economic Perspective. IN: Facilitating Safer US-Caribbean Trade: Invasive Species Issues Workshop, Eds. W. Klassen, C. Davis, E. Evans, B. Lauckner, H. Adams and M. Kairo. University of Florida International Agricultural Trade and Policy Center, Presentation Series PRTC 05-02, July, 2005. Silvers, C.S. Melapaleuza 2005. Biocontrol News and Information, July 2005. Silvers, C.S. Melapaleuza 2005 Rocked! Wildland Weeds, Summer 2005. Presentations Bodle, M. Invasive exotic plant management in South Florida: Variations on a theme. Melapaleuza 2005, Davie, FL, March 11, 2005. Burney, J. Invasive exotic plants in Florida: General overview. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15 & 16; and Lake Worth, FL, March 5, 2005. Carter-Finn, K. and
A. Hodges. Evaluating the Socioeconomic Impacts of Meleleuca in Florida, presentation at annual meeting of the Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council, Key West, FL, May 11, 2005. Clark, R. A Lee County perspective on melaleuca. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 16, 2005. Cuda, J. Invasive exotics demonstration workshop. Florida Native Plant Society 2005 Annual Conference, Melbourne, FL. Cuda, J. and W. Overholt. Integrated melaleuca management. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15; Davie, FL, March 11; and Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005. Ferriter, A. and A. Pernas. Systematic reconnaissance flights (SRF) for invasive exotic plant mapping in the Bahamas and Florida. George Wright Society, Philadelphia, PA, March 14- 18; Southeast Region Natural Resource Managers Workshop, Savannah, GA, June 6-9; Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council 20th Annual Symposium, Key West, FL, May 9-11; South Florida Water Management District Executive Offices, West Palm Beach, FL, July 11; and
Everglades Invasive Species Summit, West Palm Beach, FL, July 12, 2005. Gioeli, K. Invasive plant management focusing on melaleuca biological control. Various training workshops, Indian River, Martin and St Lucie Counties. Langeland, K.. Safe and effective use of herbicides for melaleuca control. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15; Davie, FL, March 11; and Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005. Laroche, F. Mechanical removal: TAME Melaleuca. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15; Davie, FL, March 11; and Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005. Lee, D. and C.S. Kim. Managing Upland Invasive Plants on Florida Public Conservation Land. Puerto Rico, June, 2005. Meisenburg, M. and K. Langeland. Melaleuca control recommendations for homeowners. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 16; Lake Worth, FL, March 2 & 16; and Naples, FL, April 2, 2005. OReilly- Doyle, K. and M. Hennig. Cost share programs for melaleuca removal. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 16; and Naples, FL,
April 2, 2005. Pratt, P.D. Melaleuca biological control. Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15 & 16; Davie, FL, March 11; Lake Worth, FL, March 2 & 16; Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005; and Naples, FL, April 2, 2005. Pratt, P. D. The role of biological control in Everglades restoration. The Lions Club of Clewiston. March 17, 2005. Pratt, P.D. Biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Southwest Florida Research and Education Centers Invasive Plant Field Day. June 2, 2005. Pratt, P. D. Biological control of invasive species in the Everglades Conservation Area. Everglades Invasive Species Summit. July 12, 2005. Rehl, B. Melaleuca wildfires, 2004. Melapaleuza 2005, Lake Worth, FL, March 2; and Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005. Silvers, C.S. and P.D. Pratt. T.A.M.E. Melaleuca: Demonstrating IPM for Melaleuca quinquenervia. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Salt Lake City, UT, November 14-17, 2004. Silvers, C.S. Weevils, psyllids, and flies, oh my! Taming
melaleuca with biological control. 9th Annual Exotic Species Workshop for Southwest Florida, Naples, FL, December 1, 2004. Silvers, C.S.TAMEing Melaleuca in Florida. Forest Health Monitoring Workshop, Miami, FL, January 25, 2005. Silvers, C.S. Integrated melaleuca management: How do the insects fit in? Invasive Plant Workshop, Pinellas County, FL, February 24, 2005. Silvers, C.S. Melaleuca wildfires, 2004. Melapaleuza 2005, Davie, FL, March 11, 2005. Silvers, C.S. Melaleuca: Whats the problem? What can we you? Rotary Club, Belle Glade, FL, March 22, 2005. Silvers, C.S. TAMEing Melaleuca. Treasure Coast Invasive Plant Management Short Course, Fort Pierce, FL, March 23, 2005. Silvers, C.S. Melapaleuza 2005: Demonstrating biological control and IPM for melaleuca. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences 2005 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course, Fort Lauderdale, FL, May 16-20, 2005. Thayer, D. and A. Ferriter. Melaleuca management history in Florida. Melapaleuza
2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15; Davie, FL, March 11; and Clewiston, FL, March 30, 2005. Weston, M. and J. Isaacs. Melaleuca and fire: What continues to be the problem? Melapaleuza 2005, Ft. Myers, FL, February 15 & 16; and Naples, FL, April 2, 2005. Wheeler, G. Aggregation pheromone of the Melaleuca quinquenervia biological control agent Oxyops vitiosa. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Salt Lake City, UT, November 14-17, 2004. Wheeler, G. Neurophysiology approaches to predicting host range in weed biological control. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Biology, Neuroscience Unit, Trondheim, Norway, December 2004. Wheeler, G. Plant chemistry-based host specificity of Oxyops vitiosa, a weevil introduced for weed biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia. International Society of Chemical Ecology, Washington, DC, July 24-28, 2005.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Franks, S.J., Pratt, P.D., Dray Jr, F.A., Simms, E.L. 2004. Selection for resistance in invasive plants. Weed Technology.
- Pratt, P.D., Center, T.D., Rayamajhi, M.B., Van, T.K., Wineriter, S.A. 2004. Boreioglycaspis melaleucae. Pages 273-274 Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States.
- Pratt, P.D., Center, T.D., Rayamajhi, M.B., Van, T.K., Wineriter, S.A. 2004. Oxyops vitiosa. Pages 270-272 Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States.
- Pratt, P.D., Rayamajhi, M.B., Van, T.K., Center, T.D., Tipping, P.W. 2005. Herbivory alters resource allocation and compensation in the invasive tree melaleuca quinquenervia. Ecological Entomology.
- Pratt, P.D., Quevedo, V., Bernier, L., Sustache, J., Center, T.D. 2005. Invasions of puerto rican wetlands by the australian tree melaleuca quinquenervia.. Carribean Journal of Science.
|
Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Melaleuca quinquenervia (melaleuca) is an invasive, exotic tree that has proliferated in Florida and now occupies >400,000 acres of agricultural, riparian and wetland systems in the state. Melaleuca is competitively superior to many native plants and rangeland grasses, with infestations resulting in degradation of native wildlife habitats, including portions of the Everglades National Park, and of the limited grazing lands in south Florida. An integration of all available control techniques will be required to effectively manage melaleuca. Use of mechanical control has been mostly limited to felling trees on site and manual removal of seedlings. Chemical control efforts have been based on the examination of herbicide efficacies and application techniques. Controlled burns must be carefully planned
and timed. All three management approaches mechanical, chemical and fire, require extensive follow-up treatments to prevent regrowth of treated trees and emergence of new seedlings. The biological control agents Oxyops vitiosa (the melaleuca snout weevil) and Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (the melaleuca psyllid) limit melaleuca reproduction by reducing seed production, suppressing small seedlings and significantly damaging vegetative re-growth. And unlike mechanical and chemical tools, biological control agents are self-perpetuating and self- dispersing, potentially providing melaleuca suppression that is both sustainable and area-wide. Biological control therefore offers a perfect complement to conventional treatments, but its integration with these other approaches has not been demonstrated to public and private land managers. The goal of this areawide project is to develop and promote a sustainable, integrated melaleuca control program through partnerships with federal, state, local,
and private land managers. Specific objectives outlined in the project plan of work are 1) demonstrate integrated melaleuca strategies; 2) survey melaleuca's distribution outside its native range; 3) assess efficacy of control tactics; 4) assess socio-economic factors associated with current and proposed control tactics; and 5) transfer technology and information to land owners and managers. Through a series of demonstration and outreach activities, land managers will have an opportunity to see different melaleuca management strategies in real-life settings, learn which strategies might be appropriate for managing their site-specific melaleuca problems, and acquire the technology to implement them. Production and distribution of educational materials such as brochures, handbooks, instructional videos and CDs, and on-line decision making tools will also aid in the transfer of melaleuca management technology to end users. In addition, melaleuca biological control agents will be
distributed throughout melaleuca infested areas of Florida to supplement the insects' natural abilities to disperse, establish and maintain populations. Economists and ecologists estimate the value of services provided by those wetlands invaded by melaleuca to be worth $14,785 per hectare per year. Assuming minimal losses comprising only 1% of these services arising from current melaleuca infestations, the lost value would total nearly $30 million per year. Furthermore, melaleuca is continuing to invade new areas causing accelerated degradation of wetlands. The South Florida Water Management District alone spent nearly $22 million to control this tree during 1991 to 2001. In addition, melaleuca threatens the biodiversity of Florida's Everglades which, because it is so unique, has been designated a World Heritage ecosystem by UNESCO, an International Biosphere Reserve and a RAMSAR site. It is obviously very important to reduce the invasive potential of melaleuca while simultaneously
eliminating existing stands in these sensitive systems. 2. List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Due to the limited duration of this CRIS, it is not subject to the OSQR process and consequently does not have an official Project Plan with milestones. Milestones listed here are taken from the project's internal plan of work. Objective 1. Demonstrate integrated approaches for melaleuca management based on biological control. Demonstration sites selected, mapped, treatments assigned Implement treatment plans Inaugural demonstration events Annual demonstrations/field tours Objective 2. Survey melaleuca's distribution outside its native range. Measure areawide reductions of melaleuca-infested acres in Florida Determine infestation levels for other regions (United States, Caribbean Basin, etc.) Objective 3. Assess efficacy and biological/ecological impacts of control tactics. Evaluate biological control alone Evaluate chemical, mechanical alone Evaluate
biological control integrated with chemical/mechanical Control tactics available to homeowners Objective 4. Assess socio-economic factors associated with control tactics. Benefit-cost analysis of treatments Baseline socio-economic survey of land managers/owners Follow-up socio-economic survey Objective 5. Transfer technology and information to land owners and managers. Distribute biological control agents Launch project website General information brochures Instructional handbooks Treatment instruction videos/CDs General audience video(s) Melaleuca curriculum for Florida Master Naturalist Program Training workshops Research symposium 3. Milestones: A. Nine out of ten milestones listed for completion in FY 2004 have been fully or substantially met. Those milestones that were fully met include inaugural demonstration events, distribution of biological control agents and production of informational brochures. Milestones substantially met included implementation of treatment plants,
evaluation of infestation levels for other regions, assessing the efficacy of biological control alone, biological control integrated with chemical/mechanical, and control tactics available to homeowners, as well as launching the project website. Questionnaires on the socio-economic factors affecting adoption of melaleuca management techniques were mailed to residential landowners and professional land managers throughout south Florida, collection and analysis of responses will continue into FY 2005. Analysis of this initial questionnaire was scheduled for completion in FY 2004 but was delayed because the cooperator originating the work in FY 2003 was unable to complete it. A new cooperator began developing the current questionnaire in early FY 2004. B.FY 2006 is the fifth and therefore final year of funding for this project. Milestone expected to be addressed in FY2005 include: Annual demonstrations/field tours Training workshops Melaleuca infested acres in Florida Determine
infestation levels for other regions Assess biological control alone Assess chemical, mechanical alone Assess biological control integrated with chemical and mechanical controls Assess control tactics available to homeowners Benefit-cost analysis of treatments Baseline socio-economic survey of land managers/owners Distribute biological control agents Instructional handbooks Treatment instruction videos/CDs General audience video(s) Melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program FY 2006 is the fifth and therefore final year of funding for this project. Milestone expected to be addressed in FY2006 include: Annual demonstrations/field tours Training workshops Determine infestation levels for other regions Assess biological control alone Assess chemical, mechanical alone Assess biological control integrated with chemical and mechanical controls Assess control tactics available to homeowners Benefit-cost analysis of treatments Follow-up socio-economic survey Distribute biological
control agents Melaleuca curriculum for FL Master Naturalist Program Research symposium Assessment of melaleuca management tactics and transfer of technology are the primary focus of this project's final two years. In FY 2005 planning for annual field days at each of the nine demonstration sites will continue, with the first field day scheduled for February 2005. Steps include meeting with local cooperative extension personnel to coordinate logistical assistance, recruiting speakers, coordinating advertisements and registration for the events, and preparing demonstration sites to accommodate walking tours. Training workshops on application and integration of biological, chemical and mechanical control tactics will also be planned to coincide with field days. An aerial survey of melaleuca in south Florida will be conducted in January 2005. Comparison of 2005 survey data with that of previous years will help identify changes in melaleuca infestation levels in the state. Investigations
into melaleuca infestations in other states and neighboring countries will continue through FY 2005 and 2006. Also throughout FY 2005 and 2006 data collection and analysis will continue in the assessment of melaleuca control tactics (biological, chemical, and mechanical) alone and integrated, including tactics appropriate and available to homeowners. Economic data on treatment options, including integrated approaches, will be collected and analyzed in both FY 2005 and 2006 to determine treatment benefits-costs. Economic and efficacy data for melaleuca control tactics are critical to efforts to transfer technology and promote adoption. Responses to the baseline socio-economic surveys will be collected, recorded and analyzed in FY 2005, and follow- up questionnaires will be distributed in FY 2006 to assess changes in awareness of melaleuca as a pest plant and in adoption of melaleuca management techniques. Results on efficacy and economics of melaleuca treatments will be disseminated in
FY 2005 and FY 2006 through demonstrations, presentations, extension bulletins, trade and popular press articles, instructional handbooks and videos. A series of manuscripts based on these results are expected to be submitted to peer reviewed journals at the end of FY 2006. Both biological control insects already released in south Florida have established self-perpetuating populations which are expected to continue well after the areawide projects ends, serving as the cornerstone of the project's legacy. Both insects are capable of flight as adults and therefore also disperse on their own. Distribution efforts will nevertheless continue throughout the life of the project for both insects in order to maximize dispersal range and population densities in select areas of high melaleuca infestation. Efforts will also continue to make supplemental biological control agents available to the public upon request. In FY 2005, a third melaleuca biological control agent, the Fergosinina gall fly,
is scheduled for release in south Florida, and efforts will concentrate on its establishment and distribution. An instructional handbook on chemical and mechanical treatment options and another on biological control agents and their effective integration with mechanical and chemical approaches are planned for publication in late FY 2005. Handbooks will be made available to land owners, land managers, and vegetation management personnel to assist them in the safe and effective implementation of integrated melaleuca management. Footage for an instructional video on integrated approaches to melaleuca management has been filmed and production is scheduled to be completed in FY 2005. The instructional video will complement the handbooks by providing the information in medium and format more conducive to use at training events, gardening workshops and other organized group situations. Production is nearly completed on a short, 4-minute filler to increase awareness among the general public
of melaleuca as an invasive pest and of the areawide project as a source of information on melaleuca management. The filler video is expected to air on Florida PBS stations in FY 2005 and 2006, particularly during winter and spring when field tours are scheduled in order to help advertise the events. To further extend outreach activities in FY 2005, curriculum will be developed for a melaleuca unit in the existing and very successful Florida Master Naturalist Program, which trains environmental educators across the state. Because this program is run by the state cooperative extension service and will continue long after the areawide project is completed, developing a melaleuca curriculum for it will add to the lasting legacy of the areawide project. A research symposium is planned for the end of FY 2006 for all project researchers and cooperators to present their findings to private land owners and managers, public land management agency personnel, scientists, public policy decision
makers, and other stakeholders. 4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A. Single most significant accomplishment during FY 2004 (one per Research (OOD) Project): Biological, mechanical, and chemical treatments were implemented at demonstration sites ranging in size from less than 10 acres to more than 100 acres, each infested with mature forests of melaleuca. A groundbreaking, inaugural tour was held at each of four principal sites, where local land managers, neighbors, extension personnel and local press could observe the two melaleuca biological control agents and their feeding damage on melaleuca, mechanical clearing of melaleuca with a variety of heavy machinery, melaleuca clearing and herbicide application by hand crews, and the effects of aerial herbicide application. The tours stressed the role of biological control in an integrated approach and its potential for self-sustained, long term melaleuca management. Mechanical and chemical treatments of
melaleuca were conducted through a specific cooperative agreement with the South Florida Water Management District, and inaugural tours were conducted by personnel from the USDA/ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. This was an important accomplishment because it launched the project's outreach efforts by making public its melaleuca management demonstration activities. The inaugural tours recruited interest among key stakeholders (public land managers, land owners, and cooperative extension personnel) in the vicinity of each demonstration site, establishing a base for promoting the field tours and other technology transfer activities planned for the next two years. B. Other significant accomplishment(s), if any. Five general information brochures were produced: two on melaleuca, one on the areawide project, one on the melaleuca biological control program, and one on a devastating new invasive
pest, a scale insect, which also feeds on melaleuca. Brochures are a primary technology transfer tool for informing the public about melaleuca and the areawide project, and they are amenable to distribution at a variety of public venues. The content of four out of five brochures was developed by Invasive Plant Research Laboratory personnel in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the fifth was developed by cooperators at the South Florida Water Management District. To date, an estimated 3,500 copies of each brochure have been distributed to the public in south Florida, increasing awareness of melaleuca, of biological control, and of the areawide project as a source for information on melaleuca management options. C. Significant activities that support special target populations. The Melaleuca Management Survey questionnaire and accompanying communications for the household survey were provided in bilingual format (English/Spanish)
in order to make the survey accessible to the large Spanish-speaking population in south Florida. D. Progress Report opportunity to submit additional programmatic information to your Area office and NPS (optional for all in-house (D) projects and the projects listed in Appendix A; mandatory for all other subordinate projects). Footage was filmed for a four-minute filler on PBS to advertise the project and its demonstration activities, for a 20 minute instructional video on melaleuca management, for a segment on a local PBS gardening show, for a PBS series on invasive species in the U.S. , and for a public service announcement on the role of melaleuca management in Everglades restoration to be aired on network television. The project website is online and scheduled for official launch in October 2004. Systematic Reconnaissance Flights were conducted in the Bahamian Islands and ground surveys were conducted in Puerto Rico to detect and define melaleuca populations that may serve as
sources of new infestations in the U.S. Questionnaires were mailed to homeowners and professional land managers to collect baseline information on melaleuca management practices. 5. Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. Major accomplishments expected during the lifetime of this project include demonstrating integrated melaleuca management strategies; assessing efficacy of melaleuca control tactics; surveying melaleuca's distribution outside its native range; assessing socio-economic factors associated with current and proposed control tactics; and transferring technology and information to land owners and managers. The expected outcome is development of an integrated management approach for melaleuca based on biological control in combination with traditional chemical and mechanical treatment options, and widespread implementation of this approach. The first year of the project was devoted to planning, to joining
forces with various entities already working individually on melaleuca management, and to coordinating our efforts and varieties of expertise for the promotion of a long-term, areawide management approach. An oversight committee for the project was formed, including experts from a number of state and federal agencies, a project coordinator was hired and a plan of work developed, cooperative agreements were initiated to conduct inventory, socio-economic, and technology transfer activities, and the search for potential demonstration sites was launched. These activities provided the project with the foundation and direction needed to get started, and the coalition formed, including ARS and other federal agencies as well as state, local, public and private groups, is expected to continue beyond the life of the project to have an impact greater than the sum of its parts. The second year of the project was devoted to initiating the various research and outreach components of the project.
Demonstration sites were selected and a non-funded cooperative agreement was developed to provide participating land owners with a clear understanding of the project's objectives and their cooperative role in achieving those objectives. Management teams, including site owners and or managers, were formed for each site, management plans developed, and a protocol for assessing treatment effects at each site was developed. Biological control agents were distributed to several publicly managed natural areas and to privately owned properties when requested. Research projects to evaluate impacts of biological control on melaleuca, to evaluate herbicide products available to homeowners, to determine melaleuca's distribution in the U.S. and neighboring regions, and to determine current awareness of melaleuca and management practices among the public and the professional land management community were initiated. A project website was established and work began on developing informational
brochures for the public. Several presentations at professional meetings were delivered to increase awareness among land management professionals of the melaleuca biological control program and the areawide project. In year three, the current year, the transition from the initial planning phase of the project to the implementation phase was completed. Mechanical removal, chemical application and biological control releases were made at almost all demonstration sites. Treatment applications were combined with a public ground breaking event at four of the sites, one of which was covered by local television and newspapers. Five brochures were produced and approximately 3,500 copies of each distributed to the public. Design of the project website has been completed and population of the site with information is almost complete. Melaleuca distribution surveys were conducted in the Bahamas and in Puerto Rico and agreements are in place for vegetation and herbaria surveys throughout the
southern U.S. and in other neighboring regions. Questionnaires for residents and professional land managers were developed and distributed to survey public awareness of melaleuca and identify factors that may influence adoption of management practices. In year four, the first set of demonstration events will be held, including field days and training workshops at each demonstration site. A unit on melaleuca and its control will be developed and added to the curriculum of a statewide volunteer environmental education program. Other technology transfer tools will be produced, including instructional treatment handbooks and videos. Distribution of biological control agents will continue. Data on efficacy, ecological impacts, and economics of each management strategy will be collected and analyzed. Results from the first socio-economic surveys will be processed, and detection surveys of melaleuca in the U.S. and neighboring regions will continue. The fifth and final year will include the
second round of demonstration events, field days and training workshops. Results from the impact studies of biological control and integrated melaleuca management strategies will be collected and analyzed. A follow-up socio-economic questionnaire will be distributed to residents and professional land managers and the results compared to results from the initial questionnaire. Data on the distribution of melaleuca in the U.S. and neighboring regions will be compiled. A symposium will be organized as a forum for research results from all aspects of the project. Results will also be publicized through the project website and through publications and presentations. Efforts will be made to archive information produced during the lifetime of the project in order to create a lasting resource on sustainable melaleuca management. 6. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry,
farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Approximately 429,000 melaleuca biological control agents, both psyllids and weevils, were distributed to 73 locations in publicly managed natural areas and 49 privately owned residential lots. Inaugural tours were held at four demonstration sites, with an estimated 45 land managers, land owners and extension personnel in attendance. Coverage of one inaugural event by local television and newspaper outlets reached an estimated audience of 364,000 readers and viewers. Three thousand five hundred informational brochures on melaleuca, the biological control program, and the areawide project were distributed to the public through displays in the lobbies of federal, state, and local government facilities and visitor's centers of parks and preserves in south Florida. Six monthly reports on activities of the IPRL, with special emphasis on the areawide melaleuca
management project, were distributed via email to approximately 1,400 stakeholders. Project team members met with natural resource managers in the Bahamas and in Puerto Rico to advise on management approaches for melaleuca infestations recently identified in those countries. For many landowners in Florida, the costs of mechanically removing or chemically treating mature melaleuca stands, which can be as dense as over 100,000 stems per hectare and greater than 20 meters tall, are prohibitive. Biological control, however, is available at no cost to the user and is proving to have a significant impact on melaleuca flowering and growth in south Florida. Constraints on adoption of biological control, especially by professionals interested in reducing management costs, should therefore be few. The only assumed constraints at this point in the project are a lack of awareness of the insects and of how to implement them most effectively, either alone or in combination with mechanical and
chemical approaches already in use. For residents and private land owners, a similar lack of knowledge may limit adoption. A major goal of this project is to increase awareness of melaleuca and possible management tactics among the public and among professional land managers. The insects themselves have established self-perpetuating and self-dispersing populations throughout melaleuca-infested regions of Florida, so this technology is expected to endure indefinitely. 7. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. Posters Cuda, J.P., A. Ferriter, P. Pratt, K. Langeland, K. Serbesoff-King, and C. Silvers. TAME Melaleuca: The Areawide Management Evaluation of the Invasive Weed Melaleuca quinquenervia in Florida. 85th Convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Honolulu, HI, January 2004. Ferriter, A., T. Pernas, and C. Silvers. Invasive Plants in Florida. National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week,
Washington, DC, February 2004. Scheidegger, J, SJ Franks, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. Biological control and the evolution of herbivory resistance in the invasive plant Melaleuca quinquenervia. Exotic Plant Pest Council Annual Meeting, Pensacola, FL. April 2004. Morath, S., P. D. Pratt and C. S. Silvers. Herbivory by the Melaleuca psyllid, Boreioglycaspis melaleucae, induces premature leaf senescence of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July 2004. Wiggers, M.S. and P. D. Pratt. Integrating biological and mechanical control methods for regrowth suppression of Melaleuca quinquenervia stumps. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July 2004. Presentations Silvers, C.S. The Areawide Management Evaluation of Melaleuca. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the University of Puerto Rico Agricultural Experiment Station, San Juan, PR, November 2003 Silvers,
C.S. What's bugging melaleuca? Impacts of the biological control program. Joint Conference of the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Pensacola, FL, April 2004 Silvers, C. S. Buggin' out with melaleuca: An update on the biological control program. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Aquatic Weeds Short Course, Fort Lauderdale, FL, May 2004. Silvers, C.S. The Areawide Management Program to TAME Melaleuca. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, South District workshop, West Palm Beach, FL. May 2004. Gioeli, K. Biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Florida's natural and man-made landscapes. 117th Annual Florida State Horticultural Meeting, Orlando, FL, June 2004. Silvers, C.S. Biological control program for management of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Southern Forest Insect Work Conference, Tampa, FL. August 2004. Silvers, C.S. Biological control of invasive plants in south
Florida. Florida Institute of Park Personnel Workshop, Rookery Bay Natural Estuarine Research Reserve, Naples, FL. July 2004. Porazinska D.L., P.D. Pratt and R.M. Giblin-Davis. Plant-soil biota feedbacks as a mechanism of Melaleuca quinquenervia invasion in the Florida Everglades. Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR, August 2004 and the Society of Nematologists, Estes Park, CO, August 2004. Pratt, P. D. Invasion and control of Melaleuca quinquenervia: a Florida perspective. University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology. San Juan. November 2003. Pratt, P. D. Indirect impacts of herbivory by Oxyops vitiosa on the reproductive performance of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Cincinnati Ohio. October 2003. Johnson, R.M., S.J. Franks, A.M. Kral, and P.D. Pratt. Impacts of biological control agents on Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings: Controlling recruitment. Florida Weed Science Society 27th annual meeting. Fort
Pierce, FL. February 2004. Wiggers. M.S. and P. D. Pratt. Integrating mechanical and biological control methods for suppression of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Florida Weed Science Society 27th annual meeting. Fort Pierce, FL. February 2004. Wheeler, G.S. Maintenance of a narrow host range by Oxyops vitiosa, a biocontrol agent of the environmental weed Melaleuca quinquenervia. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July 2004. Pratt, P.D. Resource allocation and compensation for herbivory by Melaleuca quinquenervia, an invasive tree in South Florida. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July 2004. Chiarelli, R., C.S. Silvers and P.D. Pratt. Effects of temperature, relative humidity, and chemotype on the biology and life table parameters of Boreioglycaspis melaleuca Moore, a biological control agent of the invasive weed, Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S. T. Blake. Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July
2004. Pratt, P.D. Biological control of invasive weeds in Florida. Forest Stewardship Workshop: Invasive Exotic Plants and Their Control. Fort Myers, FL. August 2004. Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. The evolution of herbivore defense and competitive ability in the invasive plant Melaleuca quinquenervia. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon. August 2004. Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms.. Biological control and herbivory resistance in the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Florida Entomology Society Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL. July 2004. Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, and EL Simms. The evolution of herbivore resistance and competitive ability in an invasive plant. Evolution Annual Meeting, Fort Collins, CO. June 2004. Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. Genetic variation for herbivory resistance in the invasive plant Melaleuca quinquenervia. Plant Biologists of South Florida Annual Meeting, Big Cypress, FL. April 2004.
Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. Natural enemy escape and the evolution of herbivory resistance in the invasive plant Melaleuca quinquenervia. Gordon Conference on Plant Herbivore Interactions, Ventura, CA. March 2004. Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. Does herbivory select for resistant genotypes of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia? IPINAMS Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. November 2003. Center, TD, TK Van, PD Pratt, PW Tipping, MB Rayamajhi, SJ Franks, and FA Dray. The role of biocontrol in integrated weed management. IPINAMS Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. November 2003. Publications Silvers, C.S. Status and impacts of the melaleuca biological control program. Wildland Weeds, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Spring 2004. Ferriter, A. TAME Melaleuca. Wildland Weeds, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Spring 2004. Barton, A. Invasive trees meet their match - insects. Palm Beach Post, April 2, 2004. Barnett, K. Bugs eat pesky melaleuca trees.
Lake Worth Forum, April 6, 2004. Woods, C. Taming melaleuca in Florida. IMPACT, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Summer 2004. Meisenburg, M. Melaleuca as an allergen: setting the record straight. Wildland Weeds, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Spring 2004. Bernier, L.S. and E. Abreu. Plantas invasoras en Puerto Rico: Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake. Informe Cooperativo DRNA y UPR Numero 4, June 2004. Overholt, W. A. and P.D. Pratt. 2004. Dispersal of Oxyops vitiosa: A Biological Control Agent of Melaleuca in Florida. Univ. of Florida. IFAS Extension Bulletin. ENY-701 3 pp. Overholt, W. A., R. D. Cave, P. D. Pratt, P. C. Lake and J. C. Scoles. 2004. Biological Control Containment Facilities in Florida. IFAS Extension Bulletin. ENY-701 2 pp.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Silvers, C.S. 2004. Status and impacts of the melaleuca biological control program. Wildland Weeds.
- Costello, S., Pratt, P.D., Rayachhetry, M., Center, T.D. 2003. Arthropods associated with above-ground portions of the invasive tree melaleuca quinquenervia in south florida, usa.. Florida Entomologist.
- Pratt, P.D., Rayamajhi, M., Van, T.K., Center, T.D. 2004. Modeling carrying capacity for oxyops vitiosa (coleoptera: curculionidae), a biological control agent of the invasive tree melaleuca quinquenervia.. Biocontrol Science and Technology.
|
Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/03
Outputs
1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it? Melaleuca quinquenervia (the broad-leaved paperbark tree or melaleuca) was first introduced into the United States by horticulturists in the late 1800's. However, the exotic tree has proliferated in Florida and now occupies >400,000 acres of agricultural, riparian and wetland systems. Melaleuca is competitively superior to many native plants and rangeland grasses, with infestations resulting in degradation of native wildlife habitats (including portions of the Everglades National Park) and of the limited grazing lands in south Florida. An integration of all available control techniques will be required to effectively manage melaleuca. Use of mechanical control has been mostly limited to felling trees on site and manual removal of seedlings. Similarly, chemical control efforts have been based on the examination of herbicide methodologies. Controlled burns must be carefully planned and timed,
and require extensive follow- up treatments. The biological control agents Oxyops vitiosa (the melaleuca snout weevil) and Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (the melaleuca psyllid) suppress small seedlings and significantly damage vegetative re- growth, but their integration with these other approaches has not been demonstrated to public and private land managers. Overall objectives of this areawide project are, through partnerships with federal, state, local, and private land managers to (1) demonstrate the effectiveness of an integrated approach for the control of melaleuca; (2) provide private and public land managers the information needed to apply integrated control strategies; (3) increase the acreage on which melaleuca is actively managed; and (4) promote the concepts of integrated management applied here to melaleuca as applicable to invasive weed management in general. Land managers will have an opportunity to see different strategies in real-life settings, and adapt techniques to
address their site-specific melaleuca problems. 2. How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? Economists and ecologists estimate the value of services provided by those wetlands invaded by melaleuca to be worth $14,785 per ha per yr. Assuming minimal losses comprising only 1% of these services arising from current melaleuca infestations, the lost value would total nearly $30 million per year. Furthermore, melaleuca is continuing to invade new areas causing accelerated degradation of wetlands. Infestation levels reported in 1994 were attained in less than 88 years, so melaleuca has increased at an average rate of 2,250 ha per yr or approximately 6.2 ha per day. Assuming a continuous linear rate of change and 100% decrement of wetland functions due to infestation, potential added losses could be as high as $33.3 million per yr. The South Florida Water Management District alone spent nearly $11 million to control this tree during 1991 to 1997, and estimates of losses to the
local economy range as high as $168.6 million per year. In addition, melaleuca threatens the biodiversity of Florida's Everglades which, because it is so unique, has been designated a World Heritage ecosystem by UNESCO, an International Biosphere Reserve and placed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. It is obviously very important to reduce the invasive potential of melaleuca while simultaneously eliminating existing stands in these sensitive systems. 3. How does it relate to the National Program(s) and National Program Component(s) to which it has been assigned? This project is related to two National Programs: the Crop Protection Quarantine Program [NP304] (the Biological Control of Weeds, Weed Biology Ecology, and Weed Management Systems Components) and the Water Quality and Management Program [NP201] (Agricultural Watershed Management Component). It also fulfills Objective 3b in section III.C.1 of the USDA Strategic Plan on Noxious Weeds, pertains to
Presidential Executive Order 13112, and addresses National Goal #2 of the National Strategy for Invasive Plant Management endorsed by more than 100 organizations and governmental agencies including USDA. 4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A. Single Most Significant Accomplishment during FY2003 year: Control of melaleuca is essential to improving native plant and animal species abundance and diversity, which is integral to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) overall objective of achieving restoration and sustainability of south Florida's natural ecosystem. Scientists at the USDA/ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, working in collaboration with the South Florida Water Management District and the University of Florida developed an areawide melaleuca control program that demonstrates and facilitates adoption of integrated management practices for suppression of melaleuca. In the second year of the project, ARS
scientists developed 4 demonstration sites on both public and private lands in 4 counties that will be used to demonstrate these integrated approaches. The established sites have provided opportunities for public and private land managers to see different strategies in real-life settings, adapt techniques to address their site-specific melaleuca problems and realize the benefits of biological control agents on their properties as the threat to natural areas by melaleuca is reduced or eliminated. B. None to Report C. Significant Accomplishments/Activities that Support Special Target Populations: None to report. D. Progress Report: A general project brochure was designed and drafts were recently completed for three additional brochures about the invasive threat of melaleuca in Florida and the insects that feed on it. Local land managers and policy makers participated in a small scale, preliminary field tour of demonstration sites to see first hand the impacts of biological control
agents feeding on melaleuca growth. ARS scientists continued to research various aspects of melaleuca biology, its biocontrol agents, and their interactions, to better understand the nature of melaleuca invasions and improve management techniques. They found that feeding by the melaleuca weevil significantly reduced melaleuca flowering and seed production. More than 250,000 melaleuca psyllid adults were collected and redistributed. Their dispersal rate was measured at approximately 5 miles per year and increasing over time. 5. Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. The major accomplishment thus far involves bringing together various entities already working individually toward a unified melaleuca management coalition, and coordinating their efforts and varieties of expertise for the promotion of a long-term, areawide management approach. The coalition that forms, including ARS and other federal agencies as well as
state, local, public and private groups, is expected to have an impact greater than the sum of its parts and consequently be self- perpetuating. Specific expected outcomes include: (1) a reduction in the number of acres infested with melaleuca; (2) a reduction in the density of melaleuca infestations that remain; (3) an increase in acreage on which integrated best management practices for melaleuca are applied; (4) a reduction in the regenerative potential of the weed as a method of limiting reinvasion of treated sites; (5) a sizeable audience to which information on melaleuca and its management has been disseminated; (6) a return of native or more desirable vegetation to the areas under management. 6. What do you expect to accomplish, year by year, over the next 3 years? During fiscal year 2004 we will transition from an initial project planning phase to an implementation and demonstration phase. To initiate this transition we will develop the remaining demonstration sites, including
treatment implementation and organizing and orienting the local teams involved with the sites' day to day management. In addition, baseline data (assessment and socioeconomic) will continue to be collected at the various demonstration sites to show the impact of control methods. The project website will be completed, project brochures will be published and distributed, and a segment on melaleuca management for homeowners will be filmed for airing on a local PBS station. Socio- economic survey data will be collected. Research projects on the impacts of control tactics on weed populations and non-target species will be initiated. The following year (FY05) will involve the continued application of the various control tactics to melaleuca trees in the demonstration sites as well as the initiation of field tours highlighting the successes of the program. The project website will be updated regularly with information on current and upcoming activities and additional educational materials
will be produced as appropriate. Site assessments, socio-economic data collection and processing, and research will continue as in the previous year. Three years from now (FY06), regularly scheduled tours of all demonstration sites will be conducted. A research symposium will be organized to transfer technology to land managers and other end-users. Assessments will be made of the economic and ecological impacts of integrated control approaches. 7. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? In cooperation with ARS scientists, the University of Florida Extension specialists developed training materials (including the Melaleuca Control Workbook), a curriculum guide, an agenda, and a powerpoint presentation for the Melaleuca Control Training Course.
Sixty six professionally licensed pesticide applicators / land managers participated in the training program. Upon completion of the Melaleuca Control Training program, 100% (66/66) of the participants could identify melaleuca, describe its invasive characteristics, and prescribe an effective integrated pest management (IPM) program which includes use of biological control agents to partially control melaleuca. Beginning in January 2003, 18 program participants received permission to collect one of those biocontrol agents, the melaleuca weevil, from the St. Lucie County Extension office's weevil insectary. As a result, over 700 weevils were distributed throughout central and south Florida. Techniques for collecting and redistributing the second biocontrol agent, the melaleuca psyllid, have also been taught to land managers, private landholders and weed control specialists. In cooperation with local and state agencies, an estimated 250,000 psyllid adults were distributed on public
lands. Obstacles that may impede long-term adoption include the failure of future biocontrol agents to establish in the region or lack of meaningful impacts on target populations. 8. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: This does not replace your peer-reviewed publications listed below). Paul D. Pratt and Ted D. Center. Quantifying the host specificity predictions for Oxyops vitiosa, a biological control agent of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. November 2002. Paul D. Pratt. Distribution, Density, Dispersal and Damage: Quantifying the impacts of biological control on the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Detecting Invasive Exotic Plants Workshop and Conference. Miami, FL. February 2003. Paul D. Pratt. TAME Melaleuca. Detecting Invasive Exotic Plants Workshop and Conference. Miami, FL. February 2003. Amy Ferriter.
Assessing melaleuca through the TAME Melaleuca Project. Detecting Invasive Exotic Plants Workshop and Conference. Miami, FL. February 2003. Cressida S. Silvers. TAME Melaleuca: The Areawide Management and Evaluation of Melaleuca. Florida State Fair. February 2003. Cressida S. Silvers. TAME Melaleuca: The Areawide Management Evaluation of Melaleuca. National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week. Washington, D.C. February 2003. Paul D. Pratt. The role of biological control in Everglades Restoration. Florida Memorial College Seminar Series. Miami, FL. March 2003. Andrea Kral, Steve Franks, Paul D. Pratt. The effects of herbivory by two introduced biocontrol insects on Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings. South Florida Plant Biologist Annual Conference. Miami, FL. April 2003. Paul D. Pratt. The invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia and its suppression with biological agents. Tropical Flowering Tree Society. Miami, FL. April 2003. Cressida S. Silvers and Paul D. Pratt. TAME Melaleuca: The Areawide
Management and Evaluation of Melaleuca. Joint Conference on the Science and Restoration of the Greater Everglades and Florida Bay Ecosystem. Palm Harbor, FL. April 2003. Paul D. Pratt. Indirect impacts of herbivory by Oxyops vitiosa on the reproductive performance of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. XI International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds. Canberra, Australia. May 2003. Cressida S. Silvers. Biological control of invasive plants in south Florida. Tri-County Land Managers. West Palm Beach, FL. May 2003. Amy Ferriter. TAME Melaleuca. Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Annual Symposium. Lexington, KY. May 2003. Cressida S. Silvers. Biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia: Research, implementation and future prospects. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Annual Symposium. St. Petersburg, FL. June 2003. Steve J. Franks, Andrea Kral, and Paul D. Pratt. The effects of herbivory by two biological control insects on Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings. Ecological
Society of America Annual Meeting. Savannah, GA. August 2003. Pratt, P. D., Wineriter, S. A,. Center, T. D., Dray, F. A., Vandiver, J. V. V. Biological Control with Insects: The Melaleuca Psyllid. Extension Bulletin SS-AGR-145, Univeristy of Florida. 2002. Center, T. D., Dray, F. A., Pratt, P. D., Vandiver, J. V. V. Biological Control with Insects: The Melaleuca Snout Beetle. Extension Bulletin SS AGR 144, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville. 2002.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Pratt, P.D., Slone, D.H., Rayamajhi, M.B., Van, T.K., Center, T.D. Geographic distribution and dispersal rate of Oxyops vitiosa (Colepotera: Curculionidae), a biological control agent of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia in south Florida. Environmental Entomology. 2003. v. 32. p. 397-406.
- Rayamajhi, M.B., Purcell, M.F., Van, T.K., Center, T.D., Pratt, P.D., Buckingham, G.R. Biological control of invasive plants in the Eastern United States. Driesche, R.G.V., Blossey, B., Hoddle, M.S., Lyon, S. Reardon, R., editors. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. 8. Australian Paperbark Tree (Melaleuca). 2002. p. 117-130.
- Rayamajhi, M.B., Van, T K., Center, T.D., Goolsby, J.A., Pratt, P.D., Racelis, A. Biological attributes of the canopy-held melaleuca seeds in Australia and Florida, US. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 2002. v. 40. p. 87-91.
|
|