Stewardship and Ecological Threats: Oak - Beech / Heath Forest in Rock Creek Park
The composition or abundance of species in a natural community can be threatened by a variety of factors, such as invasion by non-native invasive plants or insects. Good stewardship strategies can help mitigate the damage. For stewardship information specific to this natural community, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Here's how you can help protect natural communities:
Ecobit: Stewardship at Home and While Visiting Rock Creek Park
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Current and potential ecological threats for the Oak – Beech / Heath Forest in Rock Creek Park include the following:
- Excessive deer browse: decimation of oak seedlings and shrubs
- Viburnum leaf beetle (potential): damage to mapleleaf viburnum
- Gypsy moth: damage to oaks
- Sudden oak death (potential): damage to oaks
- Beech bark disease (potential): damage to American beech
- Dogwood anthracnose: decline of flowering dogwood
- Non-native invasive plants: competition with natives for soil nutrients, sunlight, and pollinators; degradation of animal habitat
Non-Native Invasive Plants
Dense-rooted colonies of native mountain laurel help keep the numbers of non-native invasive competitors down. The Oak – Beech / Heath Forest has shallow, acidic, and drought-prone soils, which only a few hardy non-native invasive plants can handle. (* indicates non-native)
- English ivy* (vine)
- Japanese stiltgrass* (herb)
- linden arrow-wood* (shrub)
- Norway maple* (tree)
- oriental bittersweet*(vine)
- sweet mock orange* (shrub)
- wine raspberry* (shrub)
Stewardship
- Excessive deer browse: deer management plan in place since 2012 using lethal and non-lethal means1
- Gypsy moth: bacterial and viral insecticides, naturalized fungus, release of parasitic wasps
- Potential arrival of diseases and invasive insects: Vigilance of Park staff and visitors
Ecobit: An Extra Set of Eyes
