Purple Haze: an assessment and management plan for purple loosestrife on the Indian River spreads.

Abstract

The spread of purple losestrife (Lythrum salicaria) has accelerated drastically over the last few decades. This exotic weed that flourishes in areas with very wet soils was first introduced to North America in the 1830's, but it was nearly a century before the problems that the species could cause were noticeable, such as damage to drainage pathways in fields and harm to wildlife habitat through displacement of native begetation. The basic problem with exotic species is the fact that they become established in the absence of the diseases and insects that typically control the spread of their population in their native habitats. Several states and provinces have initiated control methods to begin lowering the density of loosestrife in wetland areas. The Department of Natural Resources of Michigan has identified several sites as potential release areas for biological control methods. The objective of Purple Haze has been to collect data at one of these sites, the Indian River Spreads of Cheboygan County, and follow a management process outlined in the report to establish a control method and observation guideline for purple loosestrife at this site. This report is the first stage in managing the spread of purple loosestrife on the Indian River spreads, so recommendations for future actions also have been included.