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Implementing EBIPM A guide to developing an invasive plant
operational plan
Implementing EBIPM Outline
EBIPM Plan -1
Using EBIPM to Design Invasive Plant Management ———————————————————————————2
Overall Vegetation Goals and Objectives ——————————————————————————————————-3
Prioritizing Management ————————————————————————————————————————————4
Current Assessment ———————————————————————————————————————————————5
Priority 1—Prevention plan
A. Prevention Plan Flowchart—————————————————————————————————————-6
A. Prevention goals ———————————————————————————————————————————6
B. Create priority list of species for prevention——————————————————————————-7
C. Develop education/ awareness plan (primarily public lands) ———————————————-7
D. Early detection and Eradication —————————————————————————————————-8
E. Interruption of movement—————————————————————————————————————10
F. Milestones/ time schedule—————————————————————————————————————11
Priority 2—Control plan
A. Processes in need of repair ————————————————————————————————————-12
B. Principles to apply ——————————————————————————————————————————12
C. Practices: the tools and strategies to address the causes of weed infestations ————-12
D. Milestones/ time schedules———————————————————————————————————— 13
Priority 3— Revegetation plan
A. Processes in need of repair ————————————————————————————————————-14
B. Principles to apply ——————————————————————————————————————————14
C. Practices: the tools and strategies to address the causes of weed infestations ————14
D. Milestones/ time schedules ——————————————————————————————————— -15
Adaptive Management
A. Monitoring to collect valid data ————————————————————————————————— 16
B. Evaluating and making necessary changes ——————————————————————————16
Annual Operating Plan —————————————————————————————————————————————--18
Resources to help build an implementable EBIPM plan ————————————————————————— 19
Using EBIPM to Design Invasive Plant Management
Using this guideline:
The following guideline was developed
for land managers implementing an ecological
systems approach to implementing invasive
plant management programs. Ecologically-
based invasive plant management (EBIPM) is
a step-wise decision-making process that
allows land managers to systematically
develop restoration and invasive plant
management plans. The point is for
managers manipulate ecological processes to
cause desired changes in species
abundances.
The five steps of this holistic EBIPM
process include: 1) conducting a Rangeland
Health Assessment, 2) identifying causes of
invasion and associated ecological processes
in need of repair, 3) using ecological
principles to guide decision-making, 4)
choosing appropriate practices based on
principles, and 5) designing and executing an
EBIPM plan using adaptive management
Managers systematically consider each
step in EBIPM and apply the concepts to their
specific situation. Each step in the EBIPM
process emphasizes a series of concepts that
provide an ecological basis for consideration
in planning and then applied to specific
situations based on local knowledge. Each
step has a well-developed description, often
with worksheets, providing EBIPM
practitioners detailed descriptions of thought
processes, concepts, and ideas central to
making wise-decisions with respect to each
step.
Success in an EBIPM context is a
program that stimulates vegetation dynamics
toward desired species. Primarily we are
interested in increasing diversity and biomass
production by desired species over time.
EBIPM is based on the linkage
between ecological processes that direct
vegetation dynamics, ecological principles
which are the synthesized knowledge about
how these ecological processes need to be
repaired to positively affect vegetation
change, and the practices managers employ
to stimulate changes in ecological processes
to create desired vegetation trajectories. The
core of this decision-framework rests on
managers ability to manipulate ecological
processes to cause desired changes in
species diversity and biomass production.
This guideline provides an outline of
the steps of EBIPM to follow in order to
develop a working plan for the landscape. At
each step we provide a description and
examples of how to develop a plan tailored to
fit your specific management situation. When
finished you will have a plan that is ready to
implement.
EBIPM Plan –2
EBIPM Plan
Overall Vegetation Goals and Objectives:
What to do:
Developing goals for any given landscape can be as involved or as simple as land managers want
to make them so they will be useful. For a private ranch the goal might be as simple as to
maximize productivity and maximize diversity in order to have a functioning healthy plant
communities that are resistant to invasion. On public lands with multiple stakeholders developing
goals can be more involved.
Goals: What needs to be achieved or sustained?
EBIPM Plan –3
After goal setting, EBIPM planning begins with assessing the landscape and beginning to prioritize
where resources should be focused. The table below provides a flow chart on how to prioritize
invasive plant management efforts. Prioritizing can be made from detailed maps or simply from
firsthand knowledge of the landscape. This can be refined as management is implemented.
EBIPM Plan –4
Current Assessment
What to do:
Using maps and any survey/ inventory information available for the area of concern begin
identifying
locations that would fall under the management priorities:
Priority 1. Areas to prevent infestations from moving into. Typically land without weed infestation
and ecologically intact.
Priority 2. Areas under the second priority are “control areas” where at least 10% of the desired or
native plants are still growing.
Priority 3. Areas designated under priority three are areas that will require revegetation efforts.
Include in this section any critical considerations of the areas that should be taken into account
before going forward with planning efforts.
One way to gather assessment information is to conduct a rangeland health assessment. For
more information on how to use rangeland health assessment information to link to an EBIPM
program, consult our : EBIPM Assessment Guidelines at www.ebipm.org
EBIPM Plan – 5
Priority 1- Prevention Plan
Prevention Goals
What to do:
Under priority #1, land in good condition should be protected from infestations. When developing
a prevention plan, there are 3 main components: an education and awareness plan, an early
detection and eradication program and a program to interrupt the movement (dispersal of seeds).
The flow chart for priority #1 is below:
Examples of Goals:
1. Stop/ Slow the spread of invasive species to currently un-infested areas.
2. Stop any new invasive weed threats from becoming established
3. Eradicate yellow starthistle, knapweeds, and ventenata from Field 3.
4. Slow cheatgrass and medusahead from advancing to new areas.
EBIPM Plan– 6
Create priority list of species for prevention
Education and Awareness
What to do:
Determine what type of programs could work to education and increase awareness of the invasive
plant issues for this land? Programs that can lead to changes in behavior in dispersing species
are particularly useful. This is an important part for public lands.
EBIPM Plan– 7
What to do:
When making this list, you can breakout species by ones that are not yet in an area but are a
threat, ones that you are interested in eradicating and ones that you want to contain and not allow
to spread into an area.
Prevention priority cont.
Early Detection & Eradication
Identify protection, action, and sacrifice zones
What to do:
In this section the prevention planning focuses on identifying protection, action and sacrifice
zones and drawing “do not cross” lines for movement of invasive species.
Protection zones are areas free of weeds of concern but are at risk of future infestations.
Action zones are areas identified on maps as bordering existing infestations and are “active”
treatment zones.
Sacrifice zones are areas with larger well established infestations of invasive plants and are areas
where infestations are not to spread from.
Develop survey strategies for early detection in action and protection zones
Delineate boundaries for each of the zones on maps.
Examples of strategies for early detection in action and protection zones:
Repeated systematic surveys along action zone boundaries. Action zone boundaries
should be a minimum of 100 feet in grassland areas, and even lower 50-75 feet in diverse
vegetation areas (Figure to right ).
Surveys will be performed during peak flower periods for target plants. Areas where a high
likelihood of weeds might occur are targeted because the objective is to locate new infesta-
tions. More than one survey a year may be necessary.
Survey high risk areas (maybe moderate risk areas).
Surveying resources should be concentrated in the action zone areas.
A comprehensive program will be developed in action zones. A systematic survey, as is
used for Threatened and Endangered species is a suitable method to employ in the action
zones when searching for invasive species not yet known to be growing in the action zone.
This survey method is used when the likelihood of occurrence of a target species may be
anywhere within the action zone.
EBIPM Plan – 8
Determine strategies for establishing and maintaining containment around sacrifice
zones
What to do:
In these zones the goals is to never allow invasive plants to produce seed.
Example strategies might include: Herbicide spot applications when species are found, planting
barriers to create living block for seed dispersal.
Diagram of a survey strategy that can be conducted along action zone boundaries.
EBIPM Plan –9
Prevention priority cont.
Interruption of Movement
What to do:
In this part of the prevention plan, programs to interrupt dispersal of seeds of invasive plants are
developed. Being able to identify the vectors that species of concern are moving is the first step.
Once vectors are identified, programs to limit spread and determine if the plants are moving are
developed.
Identify spread vectors and corridors of movement
Survey strategies for action zones
Develop and implement comprehensive program for limiting the spread
See strategies in early dectection/ eradication
EBIPM Plan – 10
Eradicate all infestations within action zones, corridor areas, and high risk zones
GPS location in an
eradication program
Herbicide Suggestions for Comprehensive Eradication of Priority Species
Species
Herbicide choices
for eradication
treatment
Rate Timing
Medusahead Imazapic
Glyphosate
6 oz –12 oz.
16 oz.
Late fall, seedling
Spring, before bloom
Cheatgrass Imazapic
Glphosate
6 oz
16 oz
Late fall, seedling
Spring, before bloom
Yellow star thistle Aminopyralid
Clopyralid (less soil
residual)
.75-1.75 oz ai/acre
2-3 oz ai/acre
Late fall –seedling
stage
Knapweed species
Russian Knapweed
Clopyralid + 2,4-D
Picloram
Clopyralid +2,4-D
.59 lbs ai/ acre
1.19 lbs ai/ acre
.5-.75 ai/acre
1.8 lbs ai/ acre
Fall regrowth,
Bolt stage
Late bud/early bloom
Perennial pepperweed Imazapic
Metsulfuron
8-12 oz/ acre
1 oz/ acre
After full bloom
Before full bloom
Prevention Priority: Milestones/ Time schedule by location
Area/ Field Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
EBIPM Plan –11
Priority 2 - Control Plan
What to do:
In this section you will develop a plan to control invasive plants to eliminate competition to desired
plants so they can recover in an area, possibly without further restoration efforts. In priority 2,
resources will be devoted to areas where at least 15% desired plant species are remaining.
Consulting the EBIPM model will be helpful in developing this section.
EBIPM Plan – 12
Example: Succession is limited by site availability and species performance
Process to repair: Disturbance—The primary ecological process that can be managed to influence
site availability is disturbance.
Principles to apply: 1. Lower disturbance frequencies favor establishment of desired species
compared to higher frequencies, 2. Lower intensity disturbances favor establishment of desired
species 3. Small scale disturbances spread through time will be less likely to promote growth of
invasive species.
Practices to be implemented:
1. Reduce fire intervals, 2. Use prescribed grazing management, 3. Limit disturbances. (Provide
details for specific landscape situations.
Milestones/ Time schedule by location
Area/ Field Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Priority 2 - Control Plan continued
EBIPM Plan –13
Priority 3 - Revegetation Plan
What to do:
This section is similar to the previous section, but in this case you will be using the EBIPM model
to develop additional plans to restore areas with desired plant species. Restoration efforts are
designated as the last priority is not because they are not important, but when resources are
limited this land is expensive to restore and the likelihood of success is small. Nonetheless, it is
useful to fully develop this part of the plan, so that perhaps small tests of the plan could be
implemented and when more resources become available. Consult our publication “Revegetation
Guidelines for the Great Basin: Considering Invasive Weeds at www.ebipm.org for more details.
EBIPM Plan – 14
Example: Succession is limited by species availability, site availability and species performance
Process to repair: Seed dispersal —The ecological process that can be managed to influence
species availability.
Principles to apply: 1. Increasing the frequency of dispersal of desired species and decreasing the
frequency of dispersal of undesired species will allow communities to change in a favorable
direction. 2. Less competitive desired species can “win” a safe site from more competitive
invasive species by arriving at the safe site first.
Practices to be implemented:
1. Seed desired species multiple times at a site, 2. Reduce seed production of undesired species,
manage dispersal vectors of undesired species, 3. Plan timing of seeding of desired species to
arrive at safe sites earlier than undesired species.
Priority 3 - Revegetation Plan cont.
Milestones/ Time schedule by location
Area/ Field Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
EBIPM Plan -15
Adaptive Management
What to do:
In this section filling in the details of how the plan will be implemented, within an adaptive
management framework. When EBIPM plans have an adaptive management component, the
results that you can collect will be scientific and if called into court they will withstand legal
scrutiny as to the scientific basis of your plan. Include in this section how you plan to monitor to
collect valid data and how the treatments and strategies will be evaluated and how to make
necessary changes. Consider how you can replicate management strategies and have a “control”
plot to compare management alternatives. Consult our publication: “Adaptive Management for
Invasive Annual Grasses—A step by step user’s guide” available at www.ebim.org for more details.
EBIPM Plan - 16
EBIPM Plan- 17
EBIPM Plan- 18
Annual Operating Plan
What to do:
In this section you will want to develop the details on when and how you are going to implement
this plan. Important here is creating a timeline, supplies list, labor requirements—all the things
necessary to get the plan that you have developed implemented in the field.
Resources to help build an implementable EBIPM plan
EBIPM Plan- 19