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Problematic plant monitoring in Pea Ridge National Military Park: 2006–2021

Managers are challenged with the impact of problematic plants, including exotic, invasive, and pest plant species. Information on the cover and frequency of these plant species is essential for developing risk-based approaches to managing them. Based on surveys conducted in 2006, 2013, 2018, and 2021, Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network staff and contractors identified a cumulative total of 38 potentially problematic plant species in Pea Ridge National Military Park. Of the 35 species found in 2021, we characterized 13 as very low frequency, 9 as low frequency, 9 as medium frequency, and 4 as high frequency. Of these 35 species, midpoint cover estimates of 4 medium frequency and all 4 high frequency species exceeded the 10-acre threshold. The 10-acre threshold represents a limit beyond which eradication of a problematic plant species is likely not possible. Clearing of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) continues to be evident in our observations, and sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) appears to have increased as clearing progressed. The rapid increase in Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) appears to be parkwide. Because of the number, extent, and cover of problematic plants in the park, control efforts should focus on early detection treatments and strategic treatment of high priority, widespread species to protect features of the park’s natural and cultural landscapes. High priority species may include plant species capable of rapid spread, species at low population levels, and species that can be effectively controlled.