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June 2012

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From:
John Pogacnik <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
John Pogacnik <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 1 Jun 2012 08:45:26 -0400
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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
                                          
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