Brugia Malayi - Clark Science Center - Smith College

Mill River Invasive Species Mitigation
Brittany Innis
Invasive plants cause extreme stress to native ecosystems. They often easily outcompete their native counterparts due to their
ability to grow and reproduce incredibly quickly. Invasive plants are often introduced as ornamentals, and quickly escape
cultivation. These aggressive species can cause native plant populations to drop to dangerously low levels, even potentially causing
local extinctions. In order to avoid invasive monocultures, the movement to control invasive plant species has grown drastically in
the past few decades. Smith College has also been invaded by these aggressive species, especially in the riparian areas along the mill
river.
This summer I continued my work fulfilling the Orders of Conditions imposed by the local Conservation Committee in
response to the Synthetic Turf Project that occurred two years ago. In collaboration with the Smith College Botanic Garden
summer interns approximately 95% of invasive plants in four focus areas surrounding the Mill River on campus were treated or
removed. The invasive plants removed included Rose multiflora (Multiflora Rose), Berberis thunbergii (Japanese Barberry), Fallopia
japonica (Japanese Knotweed), Elaeagnus umbellata (Autumn Olive), Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental Bittersweet), Euonymus alatus
(Winged Euonymus) and Acer platanoides (Norway Maple). Once the removals were complete, I created a map using GIS software
to reflect the removed invasive populations. This map, in addition to a final report that includes a future years maintenance plan,
will be sent to the Conservation Committee as proof of fulfillment of the Order of Conditions.
As I have worked on this project the past three summers I have learned quite a bit about plant ecology, and the impact
invasive species can have on a native population. The numbers of invasive species found each summer have significantly shrunk,
and personal observation has led to me to believe that native populations have begun a slow recovery. In the future, this project
will include the planting of native species in target areas. This project has also led to multiple projects within the Smith academic
community, including an introductory biology class tagging and removing the invasive Norway Maples, and a landscape studies
class looking at the possibilities for use of one of the target areas. The removal of invasive species not only encourages the health
of a native plant population, but also helps make these areas useable as educational and recreational spaces for the Smith College
community. (Supported by the Facilities Synthetic Turf Project and Botanical Gardens Funds)
Advisors: Gary Hartwell and Gaby Immerman
2012
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