Heavenly invaders? Student supporting the community and environment by investigating an invasive tree.
Heavenly invaders? Student supporting the community and environment by investigating an invasive tree.
Session:
Poster SessionTree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, has been considered both a problematic invasive and a desirable ornamental tree. Increased numbers of trees descended from intentionally planted ornamental trees may signal the start of an invasion in areas where the species has not previously been considered problematic. To test whether or not neighborhood trees were intentionally planted, students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford,OK counted and measured the trees or heaven and compared the distribution to that of known ornamentals. Based on the numbers of small individual trees, trees growing close together and trees growing close to human structures, we concluded that the majority of trees of heaven in Weatherford, OK were not intentionally planted. As students we hope to use the resulting baseline map to monitor population growth, tracking success of control measures and genetic testing to determine the source of the invasion around our campus community.