Invasion of Eastern Texas Forestlands by Chinese Privet: Efficacy of Alternative Management Strategies
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abstract
2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) was the most prevalent invasive shrub in the forestlands of Eastern Texas in 2006. We analyzed extensive field data collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Forest Service to quantify the range expansion of Chinese privet from 2006 to 2011. Our results indicated the presence of Chinese privet on sampled plots increased during this period. Chinese privet spread extensively in the north. Results of logistic regression, which classified 73% of the field plots correctly with regard to species presence and absence, indicated probability of invasion was correlated positively with elevation, adjacency (within 300 m) to water bodies, and site productivity, and was correlated negatively with stand age, site preparation (including clearing, slash burning, chopping, disking, bedding, and other practices clearly intended to prepare a site for regeneration), artificial regeneration (which refers to planting or direct seeding that results in at least 50% of the stand being comprised of stocked trees), and distance to the nearest road. Habitats most at risk to further invasion (likelihood of invasion > 40%) under current conditions occurred primarily in Northeast Texas. Practicing site preparation and artificial regeneration reduced the estimated probabilities of further invasion.
