The spread of woody exotics into the forests of a northeastern landscape, 1938-1999.

Abstract

HUNTER, J. C. AND J. A. MATnCE (Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York College at Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420). The spread of woody exotics into the forests of a northeastern landscape, 1938-1999. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 129:220-227. 2002.-This study documents changes in the distribution of nonnative woody species from 1938 to 1999 within 30 forests of a 54 km2 landscape in Monroe County, New York. Within these forests, the mean number of exotic species increased nearly three-fold from 1938 to 1999, and two species not naturalized within the landscape in 1938, Lonicera morrowii and Rosa multiflora, had become widespread by 1999. In 1999, the most abundant exotic was Lonicera morrowii, which had greater cover within forests on wetter portions of the landscape where much of the surrounding agricultural land had been abandoned. Though exotics accounted for 25 % within patches > 100 nM2: Acer platanoides, Crataegus monogyna, Ligustrum vulgare, Lonicera morrowii, Robinia pseudoacacia and Rosa multiflora. These species in particular may represent on-going invasions that could alter this landscape's forested habitats.