Distribution of Ecologically-Invasive Plants Along Off-Road Vehicle Trails in the Chequamegon National Forest, Wisconsin

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2005

Abstract

To describe the invasive flora of off-road vehicle (ORV) trails, I combined field surveys for 7 invasive plant species along 2 ORV trails and seed surveys via soil samples taken from the undercarriage of ORVs. Field surveys identified 4 of the 7 species (Centaurea biebersteinii, Phalaris arundinacea, Hieracium aurantiacum, and Lotus corniculata), and at least one invasive plant occurred along 88% of the 100 m trail segments surveyed. Alliaria petiolata Euphorbia esula, and Lythrum salicaria were not present, but are included in the analysis for comparative purposes. Some ORVs dispersed seeds. While none of the seeds were invasive species, they were the same size as the invasive plants in this study. Because many invasive species have seed traits that predispose them for vehicular dispersal, ORVs occasionally contribute to long-distance dispersal events.

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