Manassas National Battlefield Park - Nonnative Species

Manassas National Battlefield Park by National Parks Service

In February of 1999 the President issued an Executive Order for government agencies to suppress the growing number of invasive plant and animal species on Federal Lands. In response to this order the National Park Service developed the Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) module. The team's goals are to located and control exotic plants, map and collect data in infested areas, and assist in restoring these sites to their native ecosystems. As of February 2002 there are 4 teams around the nation (National Capital Region, South West Region, Hawaii, and Florida) with the expectation of 5 new teams (Lake Meade, Northern Great Planes, California, Gulf Coast, and Columbia Cascades) in the next 2 years.

The National Capital Region's EPMT has been operating in Manassas National Battlefield since October of 2001. They have focused on surveying and mapping the existence of exotic plants within park boundaries. In 2002 the EPMT completed its inventory of the entire 5000 acres of Manassas and will begin treatment in the park's rare community areas in 2002. Over the next three-year period the EPMT will be working to control the spread of these species, particularly in areas where rare, threatened and sensitive species are located. Examples of exotic species that are abundant within the park include; Saint Johnswart (Hypericum perforatum), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), autumn olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa), and oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus).