Woody Seedling Community Response to Invasive Species Removal

Woody Seedling Community Response to Invasive Species Removal

This study investigated the potential for secondary invasion at five sites in central Kentucky following the manual and chemical removal of Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellate). Tree and shrub seedlings (20-100 cm) within four micro-plots were sampled at two control plots and two treatment plots at each of the five sites. Sampling followed the protocol outlined in Hoven et al. (2017), seedlings were classified as either native or invasive and identified to the level of genus and if possible species. A two-tailed unpaired t-test will be used to compare each seedling response variable—abundance of invasive and native seedlings, Shannon Index, and species richness—for the woody seedling communities between control and invasive shrub removal plots. This study coupled with future re-samplings will provide insight into how woody plant communities respond to invasive species removal and potential secondary plant invasions.