Mount Tom Invasive Species Priority Natural Community Surveys

During June and July of 2016, Conservation Works coordinated a thorough survey of invasive plants and rare plant communities on the 2,000-acre Mount Tom Reservation in Easthampton and Holyoke for the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The survey team included Molly Hale and Pete Westover of Conservation Works along with botanists Karen Hirschberg, Glenn Motzkin, and Laurie Sanders.

The work included both the detailed mapping and data analysis of all invasive species occurrences in the reservation for future control work, and the inventorying and describing of “Priority Natural Communities” on the mountain. Mount Tom has a fascinating mixture of interesting and important vegetation assemblages like the “Open Oak Woodland/Forest Community” and the “Hickory/Hop-hornbeam Community”.  However, invasives like black swallowwort, Oriental bittersweet, and glossy buckthorn have made serious inroads into many of these communities. The knowledge collected by this project will help DCR and Mount Tom managers keep track of the reservation’s important community types, rare species, and invasive plants for scientific purposes and to prioritize management strategies.