John: The discussion on exotic worms has been interesting. So what can be done, if anything, from a management standpoint where situations exist as you describe? Randy Rowe, Wooster On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 8:45 AM, John Pogacnik <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Many thanks to Scott loss for his comments, they were very interesting and > informative. The systematic method for assessing invasions by sight that > Scott mentions is the same training > that will be taught at the Conservation Symposium workshop in Cleveland > this fall. It may even be Cindy Hale that conducts the > training. > > Scott’s comments about the Asian worms are very timely. The other day > after sending out my posting I visited > a park that happens to have the Asian worms. > This area is part of our Hogback Ridge Park and is off Route 307 in > Madison Township. The forest here is relatively young. It has a dense > canopy that is 80-90% maple. We have one of the Asian worms here. Two > species of Amynthas have been documented in Ohio. It takes lab work to > tell the two species > apart so it is unknown which one is present. > At this forest, probably two thirds to three quarters of the leaves that > fell last fall are already gone, and this was still in May!. Dirt > (?) dominates much of the forest floor. > The reason for the question mark is whether it is dirt or concentrated worm > poop. The soil here has a much different > texture at the surface than what you expect in a Northeast Ohio forest. > It almost resembles clay. In fact, there > are even a few spots where there are cracks in the forest floor, as it has > been > dry here. When it gets wet it is very slippery. If you flip logs, the > only thing you find are worms. It is not a hospitable > environment for much of anything. > > The dominant native species on the forest floor in this area > were ash and poison ivy, and we know that the ash doesn’t have much of a > future. Most of the forest floor has no > ground cover. There is very little > habitat for ground nesting birds and the shrub layer of the forest is also > missing as none of the trees or shrubs ever reach much size. The only > birds singing in this area were a > few red-eyed vireos. There is basically > no habitat for ground and mid level breeding birds in this area. If you > stand in one area tou can see quite a distance due to the lack of > vegetation. There is more activity once you get to the > ravines and the steep slopes, but there was also some leaf litter in these > areas and fewer worms. > > We also have these worms at our Chapin Forest Park in Kirtland. In the > sections of that park where the Asian worms are found, the condition of the > forest floor is similar to what I saw at Hogback Ridge. Last year I was > there the day after July 4th and there were no leaves on the ground at all. > However, if you walk 100 yards there is a nice forest with a duff layer > and numerous maple seedlings. If you look along the edges though you can > see the worms are moving in. I was there early last week and saw several > adult worms. The significance of this is the asian worms typically lay > eggs and die off when it gets cold. I’m not sure if the eggs hatched > earlier this year due to the mild March weather or if some adults may have > overwintered. If anything, they appear to be getting a head start on > clearing the forest floor this year. The only birds singing in this area > were again red-eyed vireo. I have found ovenbirds not far from the worm > area at Chapin. I think they are safe for a few years. These Asian worms > are also known as Alabama jumpers and > jumping worms. They can eat their own > weight in a single day, so they are great for composting (not a good thing > in a forest). When you get one in your hand they jump > around. This active nature makes them > good fishing bait. For all these reasons > they are a popular worm that is getting spread fast. Just read some of > the articles on what they > are doing to the Smoky Mountains and other areas. They are scattered > throughout > Northeast Ohio. We have them in several > of our parks and I know Cleveland Metroparks has them in quite a few > areas. I’m not sure about their distribution > elsewhere in Ohio. > > There is a lot to learn. > Non-native earthworms have a major effect on plants, small mammals, > birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects in our forests. Couple the > damage of what they are doing with increasing deer numbers and you have > some major problems. If that doesn’t scare you enough, look up > Vietnamese nuclear worms on the internet. > These are worms that get up to 9 foot long in Southeast Asia. They only > expect them to be 3-6 feet long in > the US though. They advertise that one worm > can be cut into many pieces for fishing bait. They should not be a > problem here as they > cannot tolerate temperatures below 50 degrees. > However, there is a problem that they are even allowed to be brought > over to this country. We need to get > better laws that do not allow all kinds of exotic plants and animals to be > brought over > here without investigations on whether they are invasive or not. Have we > not learned any lessons? > > > > John Pogacnik > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at > www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] > ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. 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