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Located in Montgomery County, Ohio, the park system is named after the five waterways of the region -- the Great Miami, Stillwater and Mad rivers, and Twin and Wolf creeks. With some forest areas eclipsing 100 years old, the park district makes protecting them a top priority.

The more than 15,000 acres of manageable land in the park system is divided into five broad habitat types -- forest, succession, grassland, wetland and aquatic. The MetroParks and its contractors use invasive plant removal, controlled burning and mechanical mowing as methods for habitat management in each of these areas. Conservation manager Mary Klunk says crews have different management goals for each area. 

"We want to allow our forests to expand in order to protect the interior from the effects of wind and invasive species. The forests have the most to lose. It's much easier to replace grassland areas than 100-year-old forest. Certainly the other habitats are not overlooked in the process."

Klunk and her associates also have their hands full in the grasslands. They have found that grassy meadows with low to medium density of tall forbs are the most valuable to wildlife. Prairies, mainly comprised of warm-season grasslands, are invigorated with spring fires and grow between June and September. The park system also has a seed nursery to help expand and enhance grassland areas. 

To manage for invasive plants, crews must not harm desirable plant life.  "We must be extremely careful with our timing when managing the grasslands. Some invasives actually thrive during our controlled burns, making management difficult," Klunk explains.

Defending the forest
Most of Montgomery County was covered ®Trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC Always read and follow label directions with a variety of mature hardwood forests before settlement by Europeans. However, one invasive, autumn olive, has been spreading rapidly over the past few years. 

The Germantown MetroPark, one of the MetroParks' 20 facilities, is one of the most diverse and significant natural areas managed by Klunk. Because of this, park employees and contractors are in an ongoing effort to keep autumn olive out of Germantown. 

"Plant and animal species there can't be found anywhere else in Montgomery County," Klunk says. "Forest communities are easily damaged by intruders like autumn olive, and we want to protect the biodiversity of this amazing natural area."

To accomplish this, Klunk and her crews use basal bark or cut-stump treatments. Garlon® 4 Ultra specialty herbicide is applied at 25 percent with 75 percent basal oil. When implementing cut-stump treatments, a Fecon brush cutter removes the shrubs, which are either treated immediately or allowed to resprout and sprayed when the resprouting plants are actively growing. 

Because of the proximity to areas in use by the public, the applicators' work schedules were posted and coordinated with park managers. 

"Anytime we use a herbicide or do any invasive plant management, we put out signs and educational materials to explain what work is being done. We didn't get a single complaint in 2008 and haven't in 2009. People routinely ask, 'how can I do that on my property?'" Klunk says.

Honeysuckle project
Another common problem throughout the Five Rivers MetroParks system is bush honeysuckle. It can quickly invade disturbed areas and prevent the establishment of native species.  According to Klunk, "Increasing forest size is a good form of protection against bush honeysuckle because it has the ability to invade forests from the edge."  Five Rivers MetroParks began managing honeysuckle in the 1990s due to aesthetics, as well as biological and safety concerns.  After years of trials and studies, the park had committed to fall foliar treatments of Rodeo® herbicide based on the minimal
nontarget plant damage.

"Because the applications are made in the late fall and favorable vegetation is dormant, we virtually eliminate nontarget plant damage," Klunk says. "Rodeo is labeled for use in and around aquatic sites, so we are able to control honeysuckle in areas we might not be able to with other herbicides. We've reduced seed production and impact of honeysuckle over the past year."

Although autumn olive and bush honeysuckle are the main invasive plant projects being conducted on the Five Rivers MetroParks grounds, there are certainly others to deal with, including garlic mustard, lesser celandine and narrowleaved cattail. With careful attention to detail, Klunk, and her crews and contractors can keep the forests healthy and preserve their longevity while providing park visitors with an opportunity to experience and learn about their natural heritage.

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