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Morella faya (tree, shrub) |
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Management Information
Preventative measures: A Risk Assessment of
Morella faya for Hawai‘i and other Pacific islands was prepared by Dr. Curtis Daehler (UH Botany) with funding from the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and US Forest Service. The alien plant screening system is derived from Pheloung et al. (1999) with minor modifications for use in Pacific islands (Daehler et al. 2004). The result is a score of 8 and a recommendation of: "Likely to cause significant ecological or economic harm in Hawai‘i and on other Pacific Islands as determined by a high WRA score, which is based on published sources describing species biology and behaviour in Hawai‘i and/or other parts of the world." Physical: Introduced frugivorous birds and feral pigs are important dispersal agents of fire tree seeds, management options should include control of these dispersal agents to limit further spread. Goats can also be used to control the fire tree. Chemical: Herbicide is the primary tool used for fire tree. Roundup (Glysophate based herbicide) was found to be the most efficient herbicidal treatment because of its effectiveness in undiluted form and through its rapid absorption rate (30-40 minutes). Research results concluded that injection of undiluted Roundup provided the least exposure to nearby non-target species. Environmental soundness is related to the chemical’s rapid inactivation in the soil by micro-organisms. In its undiluted form, Roundup can be used in small quantities (5-10 ml per tree). Tordon 22K was also effective in small quantities of undiluted form, however, absorption rate was intermediate (24-48 hours). Kuron absorption rate was slow (more than 1 week). Treatment of undiluted Roundup or Tordon 22K allowed for the reduction in treatment quantity. The smaller quantities of treatments necessary due to the elimination of a solution reduced the amount of total treatment needed out in the field, therefore reducing labour and transportation costs. The absorption rate of Roundup allowed for the rapid re-use of tube sections, which affected the amount of equipment needed in the field. Also, the absorption rate (30-40 minutes) allowed the field workers to leave the site shortly after application allowing for quicker site-to-site application. Injection of undiluted Roundup provided the least exposure to nearby non-target species. Biological: A moth Caloptilia sp. nr. schinella a native of the Azores and Madeira Islands in the eastern Atlantic where its natural host is M. faya was released in Hawai‘i in 1991 as a potential biological control agent (Markin, 2002).
Phyllonorycter myricae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is also under investigation as a possible biological control agent at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry laboratory, Volcano, Hawai‘i.
Botrytis cinerea is the first pathogen to be reported on the fire tree and is reported to cause widespread fruit rot. Fruit rot has been observed on trees of all sizes in a variety of habitats throughout the Hawai‘ian range. The authors of this study suggest that the selection of more aggressive strains or the introduction of large numbers of Botrytis-infested insect vectors early in the fruiting season may assist in enhancing biocontrol of the fire tree (Duffy and Gardner, 1994). The infected fruit were also found to be less attractive to birds, therefore lessening the spread of firetree (Seibold, 2000). Septoria hodgesii sp. nov a common fungal leaf pathogen of Myrica cerifera in the southeastern U. S has been identified as a potential biocontrol agent as it has been shown (by artificial inoculation) to be pathogenic on M. faya (Gardner, 1999).
Location Specific Management InformationHawaii (United States (USA))
Experimental studies demonstrate that another introduced species a perennial grass Schizachyrium condensatum slowed the recruitment of M. faya . This maybe due to the fact that S. condensatum limits the amount of light reaching the soil surface, therefore reducing germination and seedling growth (D'Antonio and Mack, 2001). Septoria hodgesii sp. nov a common fungal leaf pathogen of Myrica cerifera in the southeastern U. S has been identified as a potential biocontrol agent in Hawaii as it has been shown (by artificial inoculation) to be pathogenic on M. faya (Gardner, 1999). A moth Caloptilia sp. nr. schinella a native of the Azores and Madeira Islands in the eastern Atlantic where its natural host is M. faya was released in Hawaii in 1991 as a potential biological control agent. Between July 19 and October 29, 1991, adults and/or pupae were released within the Volcanoes Golf Course subdivision located adjacent to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii. Post-release monitoring conducted in October 1992 indicated that establishment had occurred. By July 1994, the population had spread throughout the golf course subdivision and up to 5 km southward into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Markin, 2002).Asner and Vitousek (2005) used airborne imaging spectroscopy and photon transport modeling to determine how biological invasion (specifically the nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya and the invasive understory herb Hedychium gardnerianum) altered the chemistry of forest canopies across a Hawaiian montane rain forest landscape. The researchers used the recently upgraded NASA Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) to measure leaf nitrogen and water content from the aircraft, and corroborated the data on the ground. Results showed that M. faya doubled canopy nitrogen concentrations and water content as it replaced native forest, H. gardnerianum reduced nitrogen concentrations in the forest overstory and substantially increased aboveground water content. The authors in the Stanford Report, March 9, 2005., report that chemical fingerprints from the plant leaves can be used to tell which species dominated specific areas. In this study the fingerprints showed where the native dominant Metrosideros polymorpha has been taken over by the invading M. faya, and more importantly identified areas where Myrica invasion is in its early stages. The aircraft imagery also showed how the forest canopy chemistry is changing as a result of the invader. The authors further explained that the high leaf nitrogen associated with the invading tree means that it is basically fertilizing the forest with more nitrogen, additionally the invader also shaded out nearly all other species, with the result that this excess nitrogen was not avaialbale to other species. In the case of H. gardnerianum aircraft-based analysis found that ginger reduces the amount of nitrogen in the Metrosideros forest canopy—a finding later corroborated by ground-based sampling. Ginger cannot be detected from above the canopy using traditional aircraft or satellite approaches, but AVIRIS is sensitive to the high water content of the ginger plant.
Management Resources/Links
3. Daehler, C.C; Denslow, J.S; Ansari, S and Huang-Chi, K., 2004. A Risk-Assessment System for Screening Out Invasive Pest Plants from Hawaii and Other Pacific Islands. Conservation Biology Volume 18 Issue 2 Page 360.
Summary: A study on the use of a screening system to assess proposed plant introductions to Hawaii or other Pacific Islands and to identify high-risk species used in horticulture and forestry which would greatly reduce future pest-plant problems and allow entry of most nonpests. 4. Duffy, Brion K. and Gardner, Donald E. 1994. Locally established fruit rot of Myrica faya, a noxious weed in Hawaii. Plant Disease. 78(9). 1994. 919-923
Summary: Report into the possiblity of using Botrytis cinerea as a biocontrol for M. faya. 5. Duffy, Brion K. and Gardner, Donald E. 1999. Nematodes associated with the invasive weed Myrica faya in Hawaii. Nematropica. 29(1). June, 1999. 95-97
Summary: Nematodes wre found to be associated with the roots of the invasive tree. 6. Gardner, Donald E. 1999. Septoria hodgesii sp. nov: A potential biocontrol agent for Myrica faya in Hawaii. Mycotaxon. 70(0). Jan-March, 1999. 247-253
Summary: A fungus maybe a possible biocontrol for Myrica faya 7. Markin, G.P.; Silva, L. and Aguiar, A.M.F. 1995. The insect fauna associated with the tree Myrica faya (Myricaceae) in the Macaronesia Islands and on Mainland Portugal. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal. 0(SUPPL. 4). 1995. 411-420
Summary: Report into the search for a suitable biocontrol agent for use in Hawaii. 8. Markin, George P. 2002. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. 35 January, 2002. 67-76
Summary: Report on the effectiveness of using the moth Caloptilia sp. Nr. schinella in controlling this invasive plant. 10. National Pest Plant Accord, 2001. Biosecurity New Zealand.
Summary: The National Pest Plant Accord is a cooperative agreement between regional councils and government departments with biosecurity responsibilities. Under the accord, regional councils will undertake surveillance to prevent the commercial sale and/or distribution of an agreed list of pest plants.
Available from: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests-diseases/plants/accord.htm [Accessed 11 August 2005] 11. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, 2005. Unwanted Organisms. Factsheet Myrica faya
Summary: The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) provides information about New Zealand's most weedy exotic plant species and how to identify them. They also provide an on-line form to record observations of weed occurrences.
This page available from: http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/exotic_plant_life_and_weeds/index02.asp?Filter=m&FilterStatus=1
Lists of Exotic Plant life and Weeds available from: http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/exotic_plant_life_and_weeds/advanced_search.asp [Accessed 19 May 2005] 14. Seibold, Ryan. Controlling Fire Tree (Myrica faya) in Hawaii. Volume 6 - Fall 2000: Invasive Species & Ecosystem Restoration. Student On-Line Journal (Hort 5015/5071). University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota (USA). Department of Horticultural Science.
Summary: Detailed management information. Information on Geography, Ecosystems effected and biology of the Fire tree. 15. Silva, Luis; Markin, George and Tavares, Joao. 1995. Argyresthia atlanticella Rebel (Insecta: Lepidoptera) an excluded agent for Myrica faya Aiton (Myricaceae) biocontrol. Arquipelago Boletim Da Universidade Dos Acores Ciencias Biologicas e Marinhas. 0(13A). 1995. 105-113
Summary: A possible biocontrol agent has been excluded as a biocontrol agent due to non specificity Results Page: 1
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