Project Number: 5434-21630-003-13
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 01, 2011
End Date: Sep 30, 2013

Objective:
Establish and monitor herbicide treatment and control sites, infested with saltcedar and Russian olive, for short and long-term ecological changes, riparian system function, environmental protection, and natural resource enhancement.

Approach:
We will select a total of 24 sites infested with saltcedar, Russian olive or both in at least three Missouri River Watershed Coalitions (MRWC) states. Sites will be stratified by river geomorphology (unconfined braided or meandering) and land use (livestock production land or conservation area), with three replicates of each type of site. Detailed baseline monitoring will be performed at each site prior to any treatments by the consulting group Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc. (Synergy). Sites will have two acres each of cut stump and basal bark treatments and a 2-acre control plot. Monitoring in year two, and early year three, will consist of brief site visits and taking photos at the photo points. The percent cover of each herbaceous, shrub and tree species will be calculated along transects. Richness will be the sum of all the species encountered. Further plant community analyses will be based on species richness and species diversity. Differences in community composition between treatments, river conditions and land uses will be addressed.